Posts Tagged ‘Garden Design’

I have been chipping away at “my client” over the past couple of years and I am so excited that finally we are going to do something with our very uninspiring front garden.  It’s really quite small, but we have space for one small car and there is scope to introduce a more attractive area outside the lounge window.  As work will commence at some point in March, I thought you might like to see the plans.  This is how it looks now…

I think you’ll agree that it’s a bit tatty and unattractive and certainly doesn’t feel very inviting.  One of our biggest challenges is that the house is landlocked and this means that when we do any work in the back garden, everything has to come through the kitchen and garage.  The concrete driveway and council-style driveway really don’t enhance anything.

The other challenge we have is that the local population of cats tend to use the gravel area as a litter tray – not very pleasant, especially in summer when the south-facing aspect can get quite hot!

So, this is the plan for the new garden…

The main concrete driveway area will be replaced with Hortcott gravel and edged with setts.  You will notice that the edge of the driveway is in line with the front porch – this will make it feel much more balanced.  The area to the right will be viewed from the lounge so I wanted to give it more of a “garden” feel so that we’re not looking at parked cars from inside the house.

Here’s the rough sketch of how it will look….although the planting will certainly be more impactful.

As I’ll be on site every day, I have plans to produce some sort of time-lapsed video of the construction phase from start to finish so I will obviously share this with you along with pictures of the progress!

Deciding how you want to move around your garden is one of the defining moments in its creation.  The very act of walking around the space on paper has this amazing ability to make you start thinking about the design in a three dimentional way.  I think this is probably because you know what your garden looks and feels like before you start the design process so you are familiar with it already even if it doesn’t really inspire you. Read more

So many gardens are underutilised and undervalued.  If you think about it, most out of City gardens are at least as big as the whole floor space of the house and many are 2-3 times bigger, sometimes larger – it’s absolutely crazy not to use the space! Read more

So what is it that we garden designers do all day?  There are many schools of thought about what we do and often they include something about being outside a lot.  The reality of my life as a garden designer is that I am only “outside” when I am either on site making a planned visit during the construction phase of the project or when I am planting up a garden after the hard landscaping has been finished. Read more

On Friday I met with a local Interior Designer, who I work with quite regularly, to present the concept design idea for the new garage area at their home.  You may remember that I redesigned the couryard area outside their new office a while back.  The hard landscaped elements for the courtyard are finished and we will be ready to plant in the Spring.  Due to the expansion of their business, they will now be moving the office away from their home and this has created an opportunity to create a new garage area. Read more

I went to a seminar yesterday and when I mentioned what it is that I do for a living, the lady I was speaking to said “I have a huge garden but I’m just not really interested in gardening!”  This got me thinking about why it is that so many people don’t really maximise the full potential of their gardens. Read more

If you’re a keen gardener I’d expect you to be tuned in to the plants in your garden.  No doubt you’re out there doing something whevener you get the chance, and I’m sure that you love to watch and nuture your plants as they grow, but what about the basic structure of the garden?  Does the thought of planning the layout of the garden ignite the same passion in you? Read more

You may remember that the hard landscaping elements were completed for my project in Sutton just before Christmas.  When I first went to see my clients one of the biggest challenges that faced us was the fact that they live in a mid-terrace property and the only access to the garden is through the house.  Of course this is a challenge, and it can impact the build costs, but it certainly doesn’t prevent the possibility of creating a gorgeous garden! Read more

If you are a regular reader of my blog you’ll know that I use colour psychology to enhance my design process.  When I meet new clients to take a full brief I ask them to put together a “mood board” before the meeting so that I can really understand what their personal style is and how this fits in with the colour seasons.  This series of images, textures and objects provides a platform for dicussion which helps to bring out elements of the brief that might otherwise remain unsaid. Read more

Just before Christmas I was commissioned to produce a concept design for the front and back gardens of a small period cottage in Wimbledon.  The house is currently in the process of being renovated and because the back garden can only be accessed through the house, I needed to produce the design quickly so that the work in the garden could be carried out before work to the house moved inside. Read more