| This east-facing London garden belonged to a young professional couple with a small child. It had been carefully planned a number of years ago but had become overgrown and the lawn had become patchy and mossy. There was a sunny but cramped terrace near the house with large table and a further shaded terrace at the end. The client wanted to improve the lawn and the planting and keep a good-sized area for their child to play in. There were concerns that the current drop into the lightwell might be dangerous and railings and a child-gate were needed. They also wanted to improve the front garden which was resulting in untidy bins obscuring the basement kitchen windows. The project had to be completed to a tight budget and there were to be no poisonous plants. |  | The client was presented with two alternatives for the joining path in the back garden. Both kept the design quite simple and retained an open feel. They opted for the curved path – with a smart metal edge to create a clean look and make mowing easy. The main terrace is enlarged and edged with modern aluminium planters to create a low boundary but keeping a good sense of visibility across the garden. The planting is informal to soften the garden – utilising child-friendly plants which are best suited to the conditions in each sector of the planting. Scented mediterranean plants are used in the sunny area near the main terrace and shade loving plants used under the trees which were retained to keep a mature feel. |
 | We advised that the garden would work much better if the main terrace was enlarged so that the family and guests could sit comfortably around the large table. We felt the two terraces should be linked up by a pathway to ensure better access to and use of the end terrace. This could be achieved whilst reducing the lawn area by no more than 25%. The front garden could easily be improved by creating a dedicated area for bins and adding a row of delicate evergreen planting to improve privacy without losing light in the basement kitchen. We proposed a two staged approach to fit within the tight budget – leaving the proposed changes to the end terrace for a later project. |  |
Design philosophy