Garden Design - Brondesbury Park, London NW6
This design seeks to create a stylish and contemporary space with a plethora of visual stimuli and extensive opportunity for enjoyment throughout the year.
The existing fencing along the rear and right hand boundaries will be removed and replaced with high, rendered brick walls, which will be painted to create a uniform backdrop to the various shapes and colours at play within the garden itself.
Two distinct seating areas, each designed with a different use in mind, will allow the client maximum scope for entertaining and relaxation. The first, in the top right corner of the space, will form the main focal point to the garden and will comprise a slightly sunken conversation pit enclosed within a four-poster bed style structure. Constructed from sturdy railway sleepers, this area will offer ample space for lounging and will serve as a visually imposing talking-point. Open shelves, constructed from railway sleeper beams installed within two sides of the structure, will allow client to display a variety of sculpture and ephemera, while a third side of the structure will house a bespoke stainless steel water feature. This feature will comprise a stainless steel tank fed from above by two stainless steel waterblades and will imbue the area with the gentle sound of falling water, adding an aural dimension to the space. To allow enjoyment of the area even on the hottest days, two removable bespoke triangular canvas sails will be installed from the cross beams at the top of the four-poster structure. Finally, for comfort, large custom-made cushions will cover the conversation pit floor. These cushions can be removed and stored during inclement weather.
The second seating area, centre left of the space, will comprise an L-shaped railway-sleeper fixed bench backed by a railway-sleeper raised bed, and a large railway-sleeper table. Serving as the main dining area, this section of the space will also benefit from a second table at kitchen-counter height, beside which the client can place a BBQ for alfresco food preparation.
Flooring throughout the space will be in attractive cream Travertine stone in a formal grid pattern, inlaid in the centre with a single rectangle of plum slate tiles. This will be sealed to retain its colour and prevent staining.
The left hand boundary will be clad with stainless steel panelling to create a stunning backdrop to the dining area. This panelling will continue into the garden beyond the seating area to mask a storage area in the alcove to the left of the space. The stainless steel theme will be echoed with the addition of six stainless steel planters placed at intervals around the edge of the paving.
Planting in the space will have 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 will be echoed in the stainless steel planters spaced around the paving and a variety of climbers will adorn the rendered walls.
Two exterior speakers, cleverly disguised as rocks yet with enough power to provide good quality sound throughout the space, will be permanently wired in to allow the client to connect to a stereo system within the house. Should the client wish to use electrical equipment outside, two weather-proof double sockets will be installed - one within the conversation pit structure and one in the dining area.
Finally, the garden will be complete with a comprehensive lighting scheme, designed to allow continued use of the space when the sun goes down. Down-lighters installed within the alcoves of the railway sleeper shelving units will provide the conversation pit with ample lighting and stainless steel bollard lights will frame either end of the bench in the dining area. The paving will be 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 will cast a gently undulating light across the back of the space. To finish the scheme, a series of low-voltage spotlights placed within the flush bed running around the rear and right hand boundaries will create a subtle wash across the space while serving to highlight individual plant specimens.