A PERFECT FIT
Even when space is tight, it’s possible to create a stunning garden that offers year-round modern living
Somewhere to park the car and hide the bins – it doesn’t exactly conjure up images of a ‘private outdoor oasis’. Yet, like so many town and city dwellers whose outdoor space is limited, Jamie Field and his partner Heather, who live in Camden in north-west London, had to take such practicalities into account when they drew up the wish list for their contemporary garden, which also included a generous seating area and low-maintenance planting.
Testament then to the skills and talents of garden designer Georgia Lindsay, who not only helped the couple to realise their dream of a beautiful outdoor space where they could relax and socialise, but also devised stylish solutions for some of the less glamorous challenges – and managed to fit it all into the 42-square-metre south-east-facing garden.
The mews in which the property is set has lots of architecturally interesting houses. But the property itself was an uninteresting 1960s build, so Jamie and Heather decided to demolish it and replace it with something more modern and do the garden at the same time. ‘This gave me a blank canvas and I was able to use the architecture of the new house to influence the garden,’ says Georgia.
Jamie and Heather gave Georgia free rein but with their hectic lives – Jamie is MD of a video production company and Heather CEO of a digital marketing agency – and two young children, Jackson, three, and Elliot, one, a garden that could be enjoyed with minimal upkeep was essential.
‘Gardening today is very different to gardening of the past,’ says Georgia. ‘Increasingly, people want a space to retreat to after work without worrying too much about keeping plants alive! We went for lots of evergreens, including ferns, grasses and bamboo – they’re easy to care for and look good all year.’
Working alongside the construction of the new house certainly had its challenges, not least because the garden was being used to store building materials. The rebuild of the house took about ten months, while the garden took about eight weeks…
‘We went for lots of evergreens, including ferns, grasses and bamboo, so the garden is easy to care for and looks good all the year round’
CREATING ZONES
Paving is a key feature and helps to unify and zone the space. Georgia used dark slabs for the carparking area, as they won’t show tyre marks, and lighter ones elsewhere for contrast and to draw the eye towards certain features such as the magnolia tree, planted within the bench with a pebble circle beneath. ‘The seating around the tree is unusual and original,’ says Jamie. It’s a lovely place to sit.’
The bench is made from iroko hardwood, which looks lovely and weathers well, and it just needs a stain at least once a year to keep it looking lustrous.
ARTFULLY DESIGNED
A particularly striking feature of the garden is the Corten steel panels, which are not only beautiful but also cleverly conceal the bin area. The abstract leaf design was created to echo the leaves of the magnolia. It takes about two months for the panels to weather and achieve an orange patina. As the panels catch the light from the sun or lanterns, they create a dappled effect and a magical ambience.
The bins are further blocked from view by a tall bamboo in a planter on castors, which can be moved for access. The freestanding planters are glass-reinforced plastic. ‘They’re really great for small spaces and roof terraces,’ adds Georgia, ‘these were powder-coated to match the paving’.
ILLUMINATING IDEAS
‘Lighting is important for me,’ says Georgia. ‘These days, we tend to use our gardens more at night, so need to think about lighting it as we would the sitting room. So for an intimate feel, avoid harsh floodlights. Think in terms of creating warm pockets of light, illuminating and highlighting plants from beneath.’
ALL-YEAR ELEGANCE
Jamie and Heather are thrilled with everything Georgia has achieved: ‘Even though it’s our entrance, bin store and car-parking space, you’d never know, as the area transforms into an elegant outdoor room,’ says Jamie. And the garden looks good at all times of the year, even in autumn and winter. ‘We’ve been known to nip outside on a frosty evening with a glass of mulled wine, wrapped in blankets with the warm glow of the house as our backdrop,’ laughs Jamie. ‘We didn’t have kids at the garden’s design stage – we now have two and are pleased we planned for the future as it works brilliantly as a family space. City living at its best!’ See more of Georgia’s work at georgialindsaygardendesign.com