We were tasked with turning a neglected city garden into a contemporary space for relaxing and entertaining.

The garden is long and thin, narrowing at the back, so to avoid the eye being drawn immediately to the end of the garden, we set the garden at an angle to the house with key focal points to draw attention away from the long view.

From the porcelain terrace by the house, stepping stones in gravel lead you past twin beds with prairie-style planting.

The path opens up to a larger area with a single specimen Acer tree planted through gravel.

From there, more stepping stones lead past 2 more beds and a corten bowl water feature to another terrace - in beige sandstone plank paving - and a stunning Acer 'Sango Kaku'.

A final zone at the end of the garden houses a shed which is hidden behind an evergreen hedge.

The dark grey fences add to the contemporary feel and provide a great foil to showcase the planting.