Bio - in brief
Jamie Durie is a horticulturalist and international award-winning landscape designer, and founder and Director of Durie Design.
He is the author of 9 best-selling books (100 Gardens, Jamie Durie’s The Outdoor Room, Outside, The Source Book Editions 1 and 2, Inspired, Outdoor Kids, The Outdoor Room and Patio—Garden Design and Inspiration, founder and Editorial Director of The Outdoor Room magazine,
and is a successful television host and producer. A committed
environmentalist and pioneer of ‘The Outdoor Room’ concept, Jamie has
changed the face of landscape design, inspiring a whole new generation
to rediscover their garden.
Born in Manly,
northern Sydney, Jamie spent most of his childhood in the mining town
of Tom Price in north Western Australia. Like most Australians, he
loves the outdoors and designs spaces that recognise the crucial role
nature plays in nurturing our wellbeing. Jamie draws inspiration from
the natural form, including the vast natural beauty and drama of the
Australian landscape, extensive international travel and his passion
for Eastern culture and lifestyle through his Sri Lankan heritage. He
successfully combines these elements to create his own unique style and
approach to garden design.
Undoubtedly
one of Australia’s most successful exports and recognisable talents,
Jamie has featured in over thirty television shows worldwide. In
Australia, he’s hosted many top-rating programs, including The Outdoor Room, Australia’s Best Backyards, Backyard Blitz—for
which he received the Logie award for Most Popular Male Talent, as well
as six consecutive Logie awards for Most Popular Lifestyle Program—The Block, Torvill and Dean’s Dancing on Ice, and most recently he was a host and judge on Top Design. In the USA, Jamie’s show The Outdoor Room, which launched on HGTV in 2010, is now in its fourth season of production. He also hosts White Room Challenge, HGTV Dream Home, HGTV Green Home, HGTV’d, Bang for Your Buck, HGTV Showdown, and America’s longest running gardening program The Victory Garden, which airs on PBS. Jamie also appeared regularly on The Oprah Winfrey Show offering garden advice and inspiration following his first appearance on the show in 2006. In 2012, Jamie featured in a documentary on Cirque du Soleil for Australia television.
Jamie also designs a range of outdoor furniture and gardening products
(PATIO by Jamie Durie, available exclusively through Big W Australia),
paint range (Jamie Durie Signature by Porters Paints), and indoor and
outdoor rug collections (Jamie Durie Signature by The Rug Collection).
He has also developed an iPhone app, Garden Design with Jamie Durie,
which will be released in 2012.
An advocate for conserving our natural surroundings and environmental
future, Jamie is passionately involved with environment and charity
work. Each year he donates his time and resources to many charities,
including FSHD, the Children’s Cancer Institute and The Children’s
Hospital at Westmead. He trained with former Vice President Al Gore as
a Climate Project Presenter, and is an Ambassador for PLAN
International, the Children’s Cancer Institute, Planet Ark, National
Tree Day, the Forest Stewardship Council and Earth Hour. He also hosted
the Australian Conservation Foundation’s Spirituality and
Sustainability Forum with His Holiness the Dalai Lama, and is an
ambassador and former board member of the Royal Botanic Gardens Trust,
Sydney.
Jamie Durie awards
Some of Jamie’s notable achievements and personal highlights include:
• 33 garden design awards nationally and internationally, with
invitations to exhibit and compete at shows around the globe, including
Australia, USA, Singapore, Japan, New Zealand, Thailand, Malaysia and
the prestigious Chelsea Flower Show in the UK. Awards Jamie and his
design team have received include:
• Gold medal – Chelsea Flower Show, London
• Gold medal – Sydney in Bloom, Australia
• Gold medal – Melbourne International Flower and Garden Show, Australia
• Gold medal – Singapore Garden Show, Singapore
• Gold medal – Ellerslie International Flower Show, New Zealand
• Second place – Pacific Flora International (World Garden Competition), Japan
• Large-scale designs and resorts around the world, including the USA,
Spain, Australia, Hong Kong, Singapore, Morocco and Dubai;
• Best-selling author of 9 garden design and inspiration books,
including: 100 Gardens, Jamie Durie’s The Outdoor Room, Outside, The
Source Book Editions 1 and 2, Inspired, Outdoor Kids, The Outdoor Room
and Patio—Garden Design and Inspiration;
• Completed the Al Gore Climate Project Training course and is now an official Al Gore Climate Project Presenter;
• Hosted the Australian Conservation Foundation’s Spirituality and Sustainability Forum with His Holiness the Dalai Lama;
• Ambassador for Plan International for 9 years;
• Ambassador for Children’s Cancer Institute for 8 years;
• Ambassador for Planet Ark and Planet Ark’s National Tree Day initiative for 11 years;
• Ambassador for Earth Hour for 3 years;
• Ambassador and former board member of the Royal Botanic Gardens Trust for 7 years.
• Awarded a Centenary Medal for services to Television and the
Australian Community by the former Prime Minister of Australia Mr John
Howard;
• 2001 Individual Logie award for Most Popular New Male Talent;
• 6 consecutive Logie awards for
Backyard Blitz for Most Popular
Lifestyle Program;
• EMA Award (Environmental Media Association Award) for
HGTV Green Home 2011
• Executive Producer for
Jamie’s Journey – Hope for Uganda’s Children and
Jamie’s Journey with the Children of India,
both produced in conjunction with Plan International (Child Sponsorship
Agency) for HIV Aids awareness in Uganda (aired on the Nine Network
Australia) and awareness of the challenges and successes Plan’s early
childhood care programs are having throughout India;
• In 2012 Durie was awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia for service to the community as an ambassador and supporter of a range of charitable and environmental organisations and as a landscape designer.
