THE STARTING POINT:
This sheltered London garden is on two levels, the lower paved with with York stone, whilst the upper was made up of a small lawn and a bright blue shed, creating the focal point of the garden (and not in a good way).
Boundaries consisted of unattractive timber fencing to one side and the back – both very visible, making the garden feel smaller. To the right the garden was bordered by a lovely warm old stock brick, which was also used for the retaining wall within the garden.

THE TRANSFORMATION:
To transform the garden, we began by hiding the fence to the side by cladding it with a contemporary looking horizontal slatted cedar colour screen. This not only added a touch of modernity but also created privacy, by extending it’s height beyond the existing fence.
The rear fence, painted black,, now recedes into the background, creating a dramatic backdrop for the vibrant planting, and the fabulous Tree Fern.
Our design embraced the existing levels as it added interest to the garden and helped to defined the zones in the garden. A generous deck, basking in the sun, now sits on the upper level and extends over the part of the lower level, to house wall is the heart of the garden. An inviting space for the comfortable sofas to relax, entertain friends and work. The York Stone paving was kept on the lower level and provides a shadier spot to enjoy a bite to eat or escape the heat of the sun.
A beautifully cloud pruned Ilex crenata, planted in a contemporary container forms a beautiful and sculptural focal point to the garden, framed by the rusty steel-coloured wall, aligned with the French doors of the house, draws the attention day or night with subtle lighting
With the lawn removed, a stepping stone path set into gravel planting on the upper level, leads from the the steps, along the front of the deck and draws the eye to the Ilex, it passes the renovated pond nestling amongst the plants with its’ resident toads, around to the much needed storage area, which is now completely hidden from view by the slatted screening that wraps around the deck.

As darkness descends, lighting allows the garden to be enjoyed after dark, with soft lights glowing around the deck and illuminating key plants and features around the garden to create a lovely picture when sitting in the garden or viewed from inside.