The clients inherited an awkward, multi-zoned garden as a young family 15 years ago. Now that their needs were changing, they wanted to create a garden that accommodated more grown-up family needs.
As two people who both worked from home, it was important that the clients retained their garden office, without it being the main focal point of the garden.
The property backs onto the railway embankment, with mature trees providing imposing height at the rear of the garden, which we wanted to echo so that the space didn't feel too flat in comparison.
The key was balancing beauty and maintenance.
To ensure that the garden office wasn't the sole focus of the garden, we positioned it at the rear of the garden and created a completely separate space by designing a courtyard to effectively seclude it, whilst doubling up as a beautiful, usable outside space. This meant that the garden office was positioned between the tall trees at the back border of the property and the courtyard, effectively creating a private oasis.
The courtyard area itself had two zones, one for sitting and relaxing, and one for dining.
We also utilised a lawn, both to ensure their dog had space to roam and to maximise the ease of maintenance that was crucial in the brief.
To create height in the garden and ensure it didn't feel too one-dimensional in contrast to the incredible trees along the railway embankment, we created a cedar pergola over the courtyard, as well as Siberian larch cladding along the sides of the garden, for a finish that was modern but not too sleek.
This went well with the plants that we chose, for a naturalistic, colourful effect that didn't feel too contrived. This was aided by deep planting beds, and an Urbis lily bowl planter, that similarly created dimension with the added bonus of increasing the wildlife.
We also offset the limestone paving with irregular limestone sets in blue and grey with our signature Artisan gaps around the design to create depth and texture.
The result was a garden that brought naturalistic beauty to a suburban setting, incorporating colour and beauty without excessive maintenance needs, and multiple zones that actually worked for their daily lives.
Artisan Landscapes delivered us a total garden renovation that has been life changing. Our neglected and underwhelming city plot has become a haven, every inch of it considered in a thoughtful and exciting design and build process. Artisan's patience and phenomenal attention to detail has ensured that the new garden includes everything we wished for. But they’ve given us so much more. Design ideas, material selection, build quality and beautiful planting all exceeded our expectations. We are very happy clients, thrilled to have collaborated with Artisan on our project. We enjoy the results of their talent and craftsmanship every day and we’d do it all again in a heartbeat.
