The long, drawn-out process of renovating our house (five years and counting!) continues, and after finishing the living room, dining room, hallway and kitchen, the next area in line for a makeover is the garden. And oh my, does it need it!
We’re very lucky to have this garden, as it’s sheltered and private; it also faces south west, so it catches the sun all day long. We often sit outside late into the evening during spring and summer, and Loki the cat loves watching over his realm from his favourite spot under the trees. But even though it’s great to spend time in, we haven’t made any changes to it since we moved into the house in 2014 and it’s a real mess. The above photo, which I took as part of a collaboration with The White Company a few years ago, may make it look pretty, but note the use of soft focus to blur out the background – the reality is somewhat different, as shown by the images below…
As you can see, the lawn is more moss than grass, the patio is covered in ugly concrete, and the boundaries are a mix of rusty wire fencing, crumbling walls and tangled hedges. There’s also an old-fashioned rockery area at the rear and we’ve totally neglected the flowerbeds, spending our time and energy on the inside of the house instead. But now, as warmer weather approaches, I’m determined to create a little green sanctuary where we can relax and entertain family and friends – and where I can take some time out during the working day.
We do have a few issues to contend with, though. The first is budget, which as always is very tight. Another is the awkward shape of the plot, as our neighbour’s garden juts into ours. On top of that, we live in a terrace and there’s no side access, so all equipment and materials will have to be carried through the house.
So, the plan is to keep things simple and use as much of the existing layout as we can. The main focus will be the patio, which I want to transform into a pair of outdoor ‘rooms’ that are set up for specific activities. The section nearest the house will stay as a dining area with our current IKEA table and chairs; the other bit, at the back of the kitchen extension, will become an alfresco lounge with a sofa for reading, wine and coffee. The concrete will be covered with grey composite decking (less prone to rotting than wood) and pale paving, as I like the idea of having two different surfaces to break things up and create defined zones.
The lawn will stay, albeit with some new turf, and we’ll have raised beds down the left-hand side. The high brick wall at the far end will also remain (it’s the last surviving trace of a Victorian tram depot that used to occupy the plot behind), but the other boundaries will be replaced by contemporary black fencing. As for the planting, I’m envisaging lots of soft grasses, low-level palms, olive trees and white flowers, adding texture and fragrance while keeping things fairly minimalist and easy to maintain.
Here’s the mood board that I’ve created to show how I want the garden to look and feel:
1. Black fencing in the beautiful garden of Stylizmo | 2. ‘Light’In’ lantern, €160, By Lassen | 3. Grey composite decking, £56.91 per sqm, B&Q | 4. ‘Toscana’ paving in ‘Almond’, Global Stone | 5 & 6. Alfresco dining and lounge areas styled with minimalist outdoor furniture from Design Of | 7. The kind of understated planting that I love, courtesy of Stil Inspiration | 8. A sleek London garden with white-rendered raised beds by Studio 1 Architects
And here’s a rough sketch that I’ve drawn to show the layout. It’s not to scale at all, but it gives you the general idea!
We’re planning to do the work in several phases, partly to help us spread the cost but also because replacing the various boundary walls and hedges is going to involve close liaison with three different sets of neighbours. The first stage will focus on the lounge area and right-hand side, before we move on to the rest of the garden at a later date.
We’ve already made a start, clearing the concrete ready for paving and researching different options for fencing, so I hope to reveal the results of phase one sometime soon…
Mood-board images as credited above; other images and sketch by Abi Dare
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