Garden Design - Chingford Hatch, London E4
The solution utilises the desired materials (I.e. railway sleepers and paving) to create an enclosed social area in the bottom third of the space. This area is large and diverse enough to be suitable for a myriad uses, including sunbathing and lounging, intimate dining, dinner parties, cocktail parties and barbeques.
Starting from the area directly outside the house, the design seeks to re-pave the terrace patio with random lay paving in either Mint Fossil or Camel Dust natural sandstone. This paving would incorporate a paved circle within the semi-circular bay front area. The existing steps would be removed, and new set of semi-circular, paved steps installed running from the centre of the bay front. N.B. the attached budget does not include costs for any of the above, as at present it is not known how far the proposed extension will encroach on the patio area.
The middle section of the garden will be cleared and an elongated oval shaped lawn laid, surrounded on both sides by flush beds. By virtue of the fact that the right hand fence is higher than the rest of the garden, the bed to the right will necessarily slope upwards. Running down the garden through the middle of the lawn will be a straight, metre wide pathway in random lay sandstone. Five (5) large spun steel hoops will straddle the pathway at intervals, creating an unusual and imposing series of arches that will generate a strong sense of drama as one journey's through the space.
The pathway will terminate in the end section of the space, which comprises the main area for socialising and entertaining. The entrance to this area will be flanked on both sides by railway sleeper beds, 2 railway sleepers high. This entrance leads to a large area of random lay paving, into which a series of four (4) 2.8m diameter paved circles will be laid. The right hand side of this space will feature a railway sleeper raised bed, 4 sleepers high, with a further 4 sleeper high bed running along the bottom boundary of the space. The left hand side of the space will feature a slightly sunken sleeper bar, straddled on both sides by a 3 sleeper high decorative sleeper wall. Cut-out alcoves in the wall will offer glimpses of planting in small flush beds beyond and will allow ledge space for the client to display a variety of ephemera and ornamentation. The bar itself will also feature cut-out alcoves for the display of bottles and other bar-related ephemera. Ephemera and ornamentation are not included in the budget.
Seating in the space will consist of fixed railway sleeper benches along the right hand side, with a 2m square bed/lounger in the top right corner and sleeper stools in the bar area. A 2.4m long sleeper table positioned alongside the fixed benches will allow ample room for even large scale alfresco dining. The space will also include two (2) sleeper storage units containing weatherproof boxes for the storage of outdoor cushions, etc. Planting in the space will be a backbone of evergreen and deciduous shrubs, interspersed with herbaceous perennials in a variety of colours, chosen for their suitability as cut flowers. The planting scheme is designed to give year round interest, and will include two (2) 1m box balls framing the entrance to the social area.
The space will be completed with the inclusion of an extensive lighting scheme, concentrated primarily on the seating/bar area to allow for nocturnal entertaining. Lighting will comprise 50 x low voltage spots scattered throughout the raised and flush beds to provide a gentle overall wash to the garden, plus two (2) decorative layered glass decking blocks at either end of bar and one (1) decorative layered glass decking block in the centre of the sleeper table. Six (6) downlighters will illuminate the cut-out alcoves in the bar, while 12 halogen mirror ground lights, one on either side of the 6 steel arches, will guide one down the garden.