Earth Designs

Now featuring a third project from the London garden design company:Earth Designs. Don't  forget  to visit their blog that features up to date information about current projects they are working on as well as useful advice.  Now let's take a look at this week's design..

Project brief

"The brief from this client was to create  a  low maintenance, accessible and above  all stylish garden, suitable for  dining and  entertaining. The client  was looking for a  real 'wow' factor  and wanted  the exterior of their property to mirror the high finish and individuality of their interior space. The existing space suffered  from  many  drawbacks  -  it  had  an  uninspiring,  drab  layout  and  was  excessively overlooked from flats above and to the right and left. Its North facing aspect  means  that  it  does  not benefit from a great deal of sunlight."

Solution

"This design created create a stylish and contemporary space with a plethora of visual stimuli that offers extensive opportunity for enjoyment throughout the year. The existing fencing along the rear and right hand boundaries was clad with opaque purple Perspex sheeting to create a uniform, modern backdrop to the space. Two distinct seating areas, each designed with a different use in mind, were created to allow the client maximum scope for entertaining and relaxation."

"The first, in the top right corner of the space, forms the main focal point to the garden and comprises a slightly sunken conversation pit enclosed within a four-poster bed style structure. Constructed from sturdy railway sleepers, this area offers ample space for lounging and serves as a visually imposing talking-point. One side of the structure includes numerous open shelves, allowing the client to display a variety of sculpture and ephemera, while a second side houses a bespoke stainless steel water feature. The water feature itself is comprised of a large stainless steel tank fed from above by two stainless steel water blades. For comfort, large custom-made weatherproof cushions cover the conversation pit floor. These cushions can be removed and stored during inclement weather.

The second seating area, centre left of the space, comprises an L-shaped railway-sleeper fixed bench backed by a railway-sleeper raised bed. Serving as an informal alfresco dining area, this section of the space benefits from a low coffee-style table with a second table at kitchen-counter height, beside which the client has placed a BBQ for alfresco food preparation.

Flooring throughout is in attractive cream travertine, laid in a formal grid pattern and inlaid in the centre with a single rectangular strip of plum slate tiles, providing an elegant contrast to the dark stained railway sleeper structure and seating.

The left hand boundary was clad with stainless steel sheeting to create a stunning backdrop to the dining area. This panelling continues along the boundary beyond the seating area to mask a bespoke storage area in an alcove to the left of the space. The stainless steel theme is echoed with the addition of six stainless steel planters placed at intervals around the edge of the paving.

Planting in the space follows a strong architectural theme, consisting of sculpted box balls and tall, elegant allium in the raised bed, framed by the primeval fronds of dicksonia antartica (tree fern) clustered in the flush bed beyond. The box ball theme is echoed in the stainless steel planters spaced around the paving and a variety of climbers have been placed so that they will gradually adorn the Perspex fencing over time.

A comprehensive lighting scheme was installed with mood and accent in mind. Down-lighters installed within the alcoves of the railway sleeper shelving unit create a centre piece of the sleeper structure, while stainless steel bollard lights frame either end of the bench in the dining area. The paving is edged with in-ground up-lighters placed in front of each stainless steel planter to give balance to the space, while a submersible light installed within the water feature tank casts a gently undulating light across the back of the space. Low voltage spots cast a gentle glow across the back of the space and weatherproof wall-mounted infra-red heaters, one in the conversation pit and one on the boundary wall beside the bench seating, allow continued enjoyment of the garden on chilly nights."

Featured | Earth Designs

So here is our second edition of contemporary gardens. Another fascinating project from the London garden design company: Earth Designs. Don't forget to visit their blog that features up to date information about current projects they are working on as well as useful advice.  Now let's take a look at this week's design..

Client's needs

"This plot was a long urban garden and was almost completely bare, but for two large, established trees. The client was attempting to construct a pond in the near right corner using green slate boulders as decoration, and requested that this should be included in the design.

The interior of the house had a modern, contemporary feel fused with Victorian architecture. As the patio doors lead directly from the kitchen/diner into the garden, the garden becomes very much an extension of the house - as such the style of the interiorwas of particular consideration in the design the exterior space."

Before/During

Solution

"The final design created a low maintenance garden with a simple and contemporary feel. The area directly behind the house was laid with decking, running half way down the left side of the space. New wooden fences, to replace the existing worn out wire fences, were erected down the right of the garden, onto which a selection of clematis and everlasting sweet peas were trained.

The main area of the garden consisted of a tapered, oval shaped lawn, encircled by a raised bed following the same shape as the lawn. A smaller, tapered oval raised bed in the middle of the lawn served to slightly mask the bottom of the garden, breaking up the space and helping to create a sense of intrigue.

The simplicity of the borders was echoed in the planting, which consisted of white flowers and green foliage. Cool, crisp and elegant, a white planting scheme provides an air of harmony and tranquillity, and is well suited to the style of the garden and the interior of the house. An area devoted to graceful architectural ferns helped to accentuate the simplicity of the space and serves to provide a stunning and effective display throughout the year.

Re-designing the layout of the client's existing pond, using state boulders together with a powerful pump to produce an effective waterfall, helped to create a striking water feature. The pond and surrounding area was given life with the addition of water lilies and other aquatic and semi-aquatic plants. A bowed Cedrus libani (ssp.atlantica) 'Glauca', trailing branches in the water, presented the final flourish to the space."

Result