Our insight
The existing gardens were very disjointed with large parts of the front garden not appearing to belong to the property. We recommended that the project was one of wholesale redesign of both front and rear gardens; by redesigning the whole plot, we were able to make the total space feel more interconnected and to flow well from the house.
One key design challenge was to address steep slopes away from the house in the rear garden which made for an awkward journey from terrace to grounds. Our goal was to make it easier and more appealing for people to explore further into the space.
The transformation
The rear garden terrace was enlarged with defined curved areas for a dining terrace and a more intimate space for smaller gatherings. There is an informal rock and beach-edged natural pond with a ‘sitting rock’. Shallow steps lead to the upper garden area along with a set of steps leading through a new walkway with timber arches and arriving at a green oak gazebo, which is flanked with planting and has access points to the lawn. A rock bank combining sawn stone steps with rocks (handpicked by James from a Yorkshire quarry) was created to support the transition to a more naturalistic feel further away from the house, creating the impression that the garden had grown around existing rocks.
The front garden was re-designed to create an elegant space more in keeping with the Edwardian architecture, relating better to the geometry of the house and the flow of people and cars. The front wall was replaced with more delicate iron railings.
A small brick front path was used directly in line with the front door. Sawn York stone setts were used for the crossover and brick piers and bespoke electric gates installed. Existing front doorsteps were replaced with elegant sawn stone steps. Foundation planting was introduced, the drive was re-aligned and the long frontage became unified and in keeping with the house.
In addition to our clients’ wonderful feedback on completion of the project, we were delighted to win a national BALI Award in 2020.
We had wanted to transform our garden for several years but had found it difficult to put our ideas together in a coherent way and also lacked the detailed plant knowledge. James was able to create a design that linked the house, the enlarged terrace and the garden together perfectly. We are delighted at how the garden has matured and how its character changes with the seasons.
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