Narrow new build garden
BRIEF
We were asked to design this new build garden for a couple who had recently moved into the property and wanted to make the most of their relatively small plot that was much wider than it was deep. The developer had built a terrace that ran the whole length of the house, dominated the space and was out of proportion to the shape of the garden. The main steps led to a narrow part of the garden, making the garden feel smaller. The owners had a modest budget so we worked closely with them to create a garden that they would love whilst not busting the budget. We enjoyed the challenge, and the fact that they were keen gardeners and wanted to remove the lawn and replace with planting and hard landscaping. The existing terrace was mainly in the shade so they wanted to have an additional seating where the garden caught the most of the sun.
DESIGN SOLUTION
Our garden design process started with how to deal with the large existing terrace. We drafted 3 options for how the terrace could be changed, obtaining ball park costings from contractors to test whether our ideas were feasible.
The chosen option involved ‘cutting the corner’ off one side of the terrace so that the steps down pointed towards a wider part of the garden and led the eye away from the fence immediately in front of you as you walked out of the house.
The steps led to a section of decked path that connected to an area of decking in the corner of the garden that had the most sun. Another gravel path, of varying width, snaked through the space – connecting a summer house in the opposite corner and the side door of the garage. Removing the lawn allowed us to add some small trees and shrubs to create depth and a sense of journey as you walked along the curved paths. Some creeping plants were added into the wider sections of the path to create the informal mediterranean style garden that the owners wanted. A water bowl was added under the shade of an Acer tree that created beautiful reflections on the surface of the water. This also acted as a focal point and brought a feeling of calm to the garden.
It was a pleasure to work on this garden design which the owners were delighted with.
The icing on the cake is that this garden was shortlisted for the 2021 garden design awards
