Small Lifestyle Garden Design, Long Crendon
BRIEF
We thought of this Long Crendon project as a ‘small lifestyle garden’ because the design was tailored closely to the way the owners told us they wanted to spend their time outdoors.
They enjoyed gardening and wanted to include a small glasshouse together with more space for growing plants than they had previously.
At the same time, they wanted to future-proof the garden by retaining some lawn.
The garden needed to feel comfortable to move through barefoot, contain a quiet place for sitting and meditating, provide somewhere to watch the sun go down and also accommodate friends and family when entertaining.
This was quite an ambitious combination of requirements within a relatively small space.
There were also practical constraints, including two manhole covers positioned within the existing lawn that could not be moved.
The project was a good example of how careful small-garden design can combine functionality and atmosphere without making a space feel overloaded.
DESIGN SOLUTION
We changed the principal axis of the garden, replacing the existing circular lawn with an oval lawn positioned diagonally across the space. This immediately created longer views and made the garden feel less confined.
Flower beds were positioned between the lawn and curved paths, creating additional depth and a more interesting journey around the garden.
A slightly raised deck was introduced to conceal the awkwardly positioned manhole covers rather than allowing them to dictate the design.
The decking material was repeated on the paths because it provided the comfortable barefoot surface the clients had requested.
A bench was tucked into a secluded corner surrounded by lush, woodland-style planting. Its position looks along one of the longest views across the garden, again helping increase the apparent sense of space while providing somewhere quieter for meditation and reflection.
A combined glasshouse and storage shed makes efficient use of the available footprint and gives the owners the growing space they wanted without introducing multiple separate structures.
The planting scheme was designed to provide interest throughout the year and to respond to the different conditions and characters within the various parts of the garden.
We love the challenge of designing smaller gardens as we can use our creativity to make the space feel much bigger than the owners would have thought possible!
