This was a design for a lovely couple and their garden in south London. They wanted something a bit different, which was clean and contemporary with an emphasis on polished surfaces and structured space.
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| After: view of terrace and screen |
The garden was part of a new build and, fortunately for us, practically an empty canvas. And even better: the client was open to the use of some unusual materials, for instance stainless steel.
The space itself was not immediately inspiring. It was nearly - though not quite - square, with a slight gradient away from the house. The existing pathway and paving were mean and uncomfortable, doing little to make the garden feel clean and structured. The main clues for the design came from the clients' elegant interior decoration which was modern, bright and clean.
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| Before: area before terrace was built |
Outside, the dominant feature was the conservatory. This stood plum in the centre of the house (and therefore the garden). Hence, it was the conservatory doorway which formed the basis for the grid which in turn led to the square motif leading across the garden (see photo below). This neatly broke the space in two between the lush green of the lawn and the tidy terrace.
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| Before: view towards house |
The materials selected were contemporary both in colour and texture. The hues were predominantly monochrome to create intentionally bold statements. Meanwhile, the finish was smooth and clean with dark, honed basalt and detailing of polished, silver sandstone. These two stones were used to break up the large terrace area: silver sandstone 'squares' and detailing between the basalt pavers. In dry weather, these feel soft and giving underfoot; in wet, the colours glisten and richly darken.
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| After: view of terrace |
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| Perspective at design stage |
The client had an existing upright, stainless steel, water feature which they were keen to incorporate into the garden. To marry the metal into the design, a screen (made from perforated stainless steel) was constructed along one side of the garden. This formed the backdrop of the terrace area. Behind the screen LED lighting was fixed - barely visible during the daytime - but at night providing soft ambient atmosphere as it glowed through the metal perforations.
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| After: view of planters and phormium |
The client didn't want many plants. So strong, structural phormiums were placed in generous-sized, jet black planters. This provided some vertical interest (increasingly so, as the phormiums grow year on year) in the garden. The phormiums were repeated throughout the space, around the terrace. Finally, the planters were fixed in bright white aggregate which contrasted against the black pots and brightened up the space.
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| Before |
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| After |
We took a similar approach in the front garden - simply aiming to tidy up the lines and create a clean space which reflected the personalities of the client.
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| Before |
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| After |
This was a garden we very much enjoyed creating for a lovely and gracious client.
