The Brief

To create a stylish but low-maintenance contemporary urban garden for year-round outdoor living.

Sensitive and considered design would be needed to transform the original garden’s awkward narrow footprint into a sophisticated connection between living spaces: linking the handsome Stockwell townhouse at one end with the sleek zinc-coated garden room at the other.

Visible from the kitchen, a framed vertical garden hangs on the wall like a living painting, subtly linking the indoor and outdoor spaces.  Here, adjacent with the house, is an outside lounge area, complete with an outdoor sofa, kitchen and fridge.   The large format pavers of the patio continue on to form an elegant path.  Smooth under foot, their clean sharp lines softened here and there with ground-covering aromatic planting, they usher you down through the garden.

In the middle of the garden lies the sun terrace.  Here a custom-made sun-lounger offers a serene spot for sunbathing, while carefully positioned trees add structure and shade.  The path continues across a chic sunken pond, where the pavers seem to float on the water.  Beyond the water feature and past gracefully flowing grasses, there is a tasteful dining area, complete with built-in bench and folded-metal drinks table.  Highlighting the architectural forms, the artful use of lighting also extends the versatility of the garden, enabling socialising beyond sunset.

Every aspect of the garden connects it to its surroundings.  The bespoke black metal furniture picks up the rectilinear garden office and dark paintwork of the house.  The smooth stonework seamlessly links the kitchen to garden room.  Every corner has been considered; every sense indulged.  Plants have been chosen for their texture, their foliage and their movement: at times creating a relaxing place for solitude and at others an energising space for entertaining.