Immersive, naturalistic yard with a contemporary edge
Our client’s brief for this project was to create a cosy, family space with a feeling of enclosure and dappled shade. It needed to double up as somewhere to relax and unwind, but also somewhere that offers flexible entertaining space. It needed to have a naturalistic feel, with soft, lush greenery and natural materials as well as being wildlife friendly. With the kitchen facing onto the garden, they also wanted to bring the outside in and ensure there was plenty to admire year-round when sitting inside.
The yard originally had a typical layout with paving right across the space, with narrow planting borders pushed alongside two of the boundaries. In order to create a naturalistic, relaxing garden, we removed all of the existing hard landscaping and introduced as much planting as possible to be sited in a number of gently curving island beds that our clients could weave around to reach a seating area, access their shed and go in and out of the garden. Unedged self-binding gravel was used for the pathways to continue the naturalistic feel, with the aim of allowing plants to spill out onto the paths. White render was removed from boundary walls to expose the brick underneath. The back wall was clad in vertical timber batons, giving the garden a contemporary edge. Corten steel features including a wildlife-friendly container pond, bird boxes and a three-tier wood store were included to match the tone of the brick house walls and the timber cladding. The shed was also painted Obsidian Green to make it to fade into the background and allow the planting to draw the eye. We also sourced a contemporary L-shaped sofa and table to tie in with the overall scheme.
The planting scheme needed to have an emphasis on soft, lush, layered planting with a focus on foliage and texture. With our clients living in Tynemouth, plants were chosen specifically for their suitability for a coastal climate as well as their value for wildlife. In order to create the immersive space that our client’s wanted, we ensured that height was key, introducing a number of multi-stemmed and standard trees to fill the space whilst still working practically for the size of the yard. Numerous climbers were also introduced to the boundaries which in time will grow to cover them and bring even more of a naturalistic look to the space. Pastel pink and blue flowers dominate the colour palette throughout the year, intermingled with various shades of green. Whites are also used to brighten darker corners and to appreciate during the lower light levels of dusk and dawn. Seasonal interest was also particularly important with the kitchen looking straight out onto the garden, with shrubs, tree and perennials chosen for their autumnal leaf colour, seedheads, berries and spring blossom. Evergeens were also positoned to disguise any of the more expansive areas of hard landscaping. Scented plants also fill the space with scent during the warmer summer months.
Project stage: completed
