North London Garden Design: Garden of the Month September 2013

This North London Garden Design utilises aspects of each of the four classical elements combined within an open-plan and highly social space. The garden will be split into two main areas – a large area of decking adjoining the house and a sunken, paved seating area to the rear of the space. Entrance to the garden is via the sideway, which will be simply dressed with resined Shetland gravel and accessed either by the kitchen door or, with the addition of a raised decked platform and steps, via the lounge through the currently defunct French window. Railings along the side of the steps and front of the platform will aid safety, while the empty space below the platform will benefit from the addition of a weatherproof storage unit.

The sideway itself will be left clear of ornamentation to allow the client to add their own pots and containers as they wish.  Entrance from the sideway to the garden proper will be via a decked step opening onto a decked patio measuring 5m x 4m, large enough to be adapted to a variety of uses from sunbathing to formal dining. A series of wide and shallow terraced steps in the centre of the space allow access from here to the main focus of the garden – a sunken conversation pit.

This area will be paved throughout with  Indian Fossil slate in a formal pattern, and will be flanked on both sides and along the back boundary by rendered block raised beds in Aubergine. Seating in this area will be provided with the addition of  long, deep, fixed benches along the back bed and both side beds. These benches will comprise rendered block risers and hinged decked lids to allow for further weatherproof storage. The paving will be softened slightly by flush beds located at the ends of the two side benches.

A limestone water feature located centrally on the paving, close to the bottom of the terraced steps, will become an elegant focal point to the sunken area, enhancing the space with the the gentle  sound of running water and serving as an unusual bottle cooler on hot summer days!