Our challenge for this brief was to create harmony between our client’s differing tastes, striving towards a balance of natural features with clean, minimalist design. The design for the garden at the side of the house was to draw on Japanese influences and we also ensured a sense of flow and cohesion between this space and the back garden. It was to become a space for relaxing, flexible dining and cooking whilst making the most of the sunlight as it moved through the garden. The material palette was to complement those used on the house, including blue-grey slate and the reddish tones from the brick. Bringing the planting right up to the house and ensuring plenty of seasonal interest would allow for year-round enjoyment. The choice of planting was heavily influenced by its suitability to a coastal environment and also needed to be cat-friendly. Wildlife features including a container pond, contemporary bird and insect houses and a variety of shrubs, trees and pollinator favourites were included throughout.
The pathways and seating areas incorporate geometric shapes sitting alongside organically shaped planting beds, creating more enticing routes through the garden as well as maximising on planting space. Seating areas were positioned to enjoy both the morning and evening light. A small area of lawn was retained, aiding in creating a clean, minimalist look whilst also providing somewhere to sit/lie during the summer months. Small multi-stemmed trees, shrubs and climbers have been positioned to soften the contemporary hard landscaping and will continue to establish over the coming years.
Project stage: completed
