Our clients were retiring and moving back from the States permanently to their UK home. Surrounded by old friends, they decided not to move but instead to invest in upgrading their house and garden to live in long term. The garden was to be a place to entertain family and friends, and to provide an ever-changing focus from the many large windows in the house. They also wanted to give back to the community by making the front garden, on a busy road, a place to look and enjoy.
We divided the rear garden into four with a rill running along the length of the house reflecting light into all of the rooms and filling the garden with wildlife. A quiet space for pilates with a kinetic sculpture as backdrop is the first area; a dining garden under mulberry umbrellas takes centre stage and a Japanese inspired topiary garden with pavilion provides the focal point for summer barbecues. A greenhouse and potting shed are hidden around the corner to the side providing herbs and edibles for cooking. The front garden along the road was planted for maximum colour and seasonal changes, and people constantly stop to comment and chat to the owners, just as they had hoped.
