The Brief
The clients were new to the area and had just moved into a new build property. As such the garden was a totally blank canvas, with an interesting albeit slightly tricky curved boundary wall. They wanted a contemporary garden that could be used for entertaining but also needed an area for their two dogs to do their thing. If room, they also wanted a water feature, both for their enjoyment and that of their visiting grandchildren. Being keen plants people they also wanted to have as much planting as possible.
Design Solution
It was a daunting task to try and fit all of this into what was a relatively small garden. One of the early decisions was to screen off a strip on one side of the garden that could be used as a dog run. This in turn created an area that could be solely focussed on developing the contemporary social space they were looking for. Rendered raised beds were used to frame a sawn sandstone paved area in the centre of the garden. These beds, once planted up, help to blur the boundaries of the garden, helping to convince the user that the garden is larger than it is. This also softens the expanse of open brick wall and has the added benefit of being easy to maintain as there is no need to get down on your hands and knees. Changes of level within the beds inject further excitement into the garden and allow for some fun with the planting.
Built into this framework was a two tiered water feature. The lower level has a simple but elegant rill falling into it, which creates that sense of relaxation. It is deep enough to allow small fish and as such is a huge draw for the grandchildren. The upper layer is kept as a permanently waterlogged bog garden allowing them to experiment with some otherwise impractical planting options.
Materials used are kept to a minimal palette, with clean lines and edges to convey the contemporary feel they were looking for. The use of an Ivory render and Mint Sandstone paving injects some light into the garden, brightening the space even on a rainy day. This also helps to give the planting a real ‘pop’ and shows off the gorgeous shades and shapes of the foliage.
Their French doors open up right into the middle of the garden. A similar shade and texture of paving was used in the garden as within the house. This really enforced the feeling of their garden being an extension of the home and allowed for seamless transition between the two.
Client Feedback
“I just wanted to say how pleased we are with the garden now it is finished. The design works perfectly and the use of the small space works great. I thank you for all your input and follow up and am more than willing to recommend you highly to anyone. I am very proud of my garden and if you need to show it to anyone please feel free to do so. Once again many thanks and i hope you will drop in to see the garden in the future.”
Mike – Westbury