ABOUT THE PROJECT

With so many inner-city courtyards, clients build a deck to extend the rear of the home, but this solution creates what I call ‘deck island’ and in a nutshell the homeowner tends to stay on the deck and never venture into the garden. This is the case in this amazing little terrace, but with a change in access, step direction and subtle levels changes we draw the back garden up to the house, whilst providing interesting vistas and a reason to engage. This change in layout maximises the complete garden, creates depth and the opportunity for a layered planting scheme, just what our green fingered clients wanted more of.

This design change doesn’t mean you lose all the important factors such as storage, washing line and rear lane access, in fact with a change in angle the garden beds are deeper and so enabling a blend of seasonal shrubs and groundcovers, we still have room for a lawn and in this case an opportunity to expand our clients love of cooking with a Pizza oven.

Small deciduous trees will mark the seasons as well as creating additional shade in summer and privacy from the neighbours, whilst a focal point water feature creates movement and evening contracts.

All in all, this little garden provides all the functional elements needed, but above all that, this garden has soul, movement, and interest.