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Before and After
Garden Tour: A South-facing Family Space With Contemporary Style
Lack of shade and access were the first issues the designer of this once-neglected urban garden resolved – beautifully
To anyone who’s had their kitchen extended, the situation the family in this home faced may be a familiar one. The new extension was beautiful, but so flooded with sunshine that it could get very hot. The garden, having been a dumping ground while building works were underway, had become a casualty of the new space and, the original connection between house and outdoors having vanished, there was just a big drop outside the new bifold doors.
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This article is from our Most Popular stories file
The homeowners had had a full-width kitchen extension built and, while building work was underway, the garden “had got a bit trashed. It was pretty unloved and unused,” designer Simon Orchard says.
“They also had a sizeable drop from the bifold doors to the garden level and no steps down – they were having to jump,” he adds.
Simon was brought in to create a family space outdoors, a connection between the house and garden, a couple of different seating spots, and areas where the children could play.
Dealing with light – too much of it – was also part of the brief. The garden is south-facing and the kitchen, which had rooflights fitted as part of the build, could get really hot. The homeowners were keen to have a structure close to the house that would provide some shade both inside and out.
“They also had a sizeable drop from the bifold doors to the garden level and no steps down – they were having to jump,” he adds.
Simon was brought in to create a family space outdoors, a connection between the house and garden, a couple of different seating spots, and areas where the children could play.
Dealing with light – too much of it – was also part of the brief. The garden is south-facing and the kitchen, which had rooflights fitted as part of the build, could get really hot. The homeowners were keen to have a structure close to the house that would provide some shade both inside and out.
Simon’s solution was to build this contemporary slatted pergola. “It did the job of creating some shade in the kitchen and in the new seating area outside the bifold doors,” Simon says.
Depending on the time of day, the slats provide partial shade, “as well as nice shadow play. The pergola also frames the deck to create an ‘outdoor room’ feel,” he adds.
The pergola is constructed from treated timber painted anthracite grey to go with the bifolds. The deck is a greyish-coloured composite.
“It’s much longer-lasting than treated timber and it won’t rot,” Simon explains. “Also, since it’s not a natural product, you don’t get algae growing on it, which can cause it to discolour and become slippery. We chose the shade as it’s a contemporary colour that goes well with the new kitchen.”
Composite deck in Smoked Oak, Millboard.
Depending on the time of day, the slats provide partial shade, “as well as nice shadow play. The pergola also frames the deck to create an ‘outdoor room’ feel,” he adds.
The pergola is constructed from treated timber painted anthracite grey to go with the bifolds. The deck is a greyish-coloured composite.
“It’s much longer-lasting than treated timber and it won’t rot,” Simon explains. “Also, since it’s not a natural product, you don’t get algae growing on it, which can cause it to discolour and become slippery. We chose the shade as it’s a contemporary colour that goes well with the new kitchen.”
Composite deck in Smoked Oak, Millboard.
After the builders had gone, the family were left with a long drop between the kitchen and garden.
Find a landscape architect or garden designer to help you realise your dream outside space.
Find a landscape architect or garden designer to help you realise your dream outside space.
To link the spaces, Simon created these chunky diagonal steps, with a 20cm shadow gap between each level to give the illusion they’re floating.
“I wanted to make a nice, gentle transition from top to bottom, especially as the owners have young children,” Simon says. “I also wanted to do something a bit different. The steps are designed to lead you down and then diagonally across the garden.”
“I wanted to make a nice, gentle transition from top to bottom, especially as the owners have young children,” Simon says. “I also wanted to do something a bit different. The steps are designed to lead you down and then diagonally across the garden.”
At the bottom of the raised deck is a border featuring, among other plants, Achillea ‘Credo’, Geum ‘Totally Tangerine’, Penstemon ‘Raven’ and Salvia nemorosa ‘Caradonna’.
“I use the colour wheel quite a lot for planting,” Simon says. “Opposites on the colour wheel – yellows and blues/purples, for example – can make a nice scheme. Picking three colours next to each other on the wheel can also make a nice combination.”
Borders run down both fences. “As a design feature, I never have a lawn butting up to a fence,” Simon says. “Otherwise, you wouldn’t be able to grow anything up the fence and it could look a bit stark.
“There are climbers all the way down and lots of tension wires. Since the photos were taken, it will all have grown to the point where you probably won’t see much of the fence at all,” he adds.
Having borders also makes it easier to cut the grass. “You can’t mow that close to the fence, so you’d be going along after you’d mowed with your shears. A pain!” Simon says. He edged the lawn with steel to allow mowing right up to the beds and to give the grass a crisp edge.
“There are climbers all the way down and lots of tension wires. Since the photos were taken, it will all have grown to the point where you probably won’t see much of the fence at all,” he adds.
Having borders also makes it easier to cut the grass. “You can’t mow that close to the fence, so you’d be going along after you’d mowed with your shears. A pain!” Simon says. He edged the lawn with steel to allow mowing right up to the beds and to give the grass a crisp edge.
The rather bare border before work began.
Simon planted right by the edges of the steps to soften the lines. Here you can see herbs, including sage, purple sage and oregano.
Rudbeckia fulgida var. deamii, Agastache ‘Blackadder’ and Verbena bonariensis, seen flanking the steps, are all bee- and butterfly-friendly.
The garden contains a considerable amount of fencing and it was important this was in keeping with the rest of the design. “Horizontal slats give it a more contemporary look than a traditional closeboard feather-edge fence,” Simon says.
“It’s western red cedar – a softwood, but one that has natural properties, meaning you don’t need to give it additional sealing,” he adds. “In time, the cedar will go a nice silver colour, which will match the decking more closely.”
Which type of garden fence should I choose?
“It’s western red cedar – a softwood, but one that has natural properties, meaning you don’t need to give it additional sealing,” he adds. “In time, the cedar will go a nice silver colour, which will match the decking more closely.”
Which type of garden fence should I choose?
The circular planter on the deck was already there, but Simon painted it. It houses an Agapanthus top-dressed with chipped limestone in a pale grey. It’s another contemporary detail and another link to the other end of the garden, as the same stones are used in a small area at the end of the lawn.
Simon and his team renovated the existing shed, repainting it in rich petrol blue.
He created a second seating area at this end of the garden, allowing the homeowners to enjoy a different viewpoint as the sun tracks around the space. It’s also used as a play area for the children, the flat surface being perfect for a slide and trampoline.
Heath sawn sandstone in Warm Grey, London Stone.
He created a second seating area at this end of the garden, allowing the homeowners to enjoy a different viewpoint as the sun tracks around the space. It’s also used as a play area for the children, the flat surface being perfect for a slide and trampoline.
Heath sawn sandstone in Warm Grey, London Stone.
The flowers at the edge of the paved area are Hydrangea ‘Little Lime’ interspersed with Geranium ‘Rozanne’. “In time, that will grow to form almost a short hedge, zoning the area further,” Simon says.
Here you can see what an uninviting, unloved space the garden had become after the kitchen extension was completed.
Tell us…
Which ideas from this modern garden would you take for your own outdoor space? Share your thoughts in the Comments section.
Which ideas from this modern garden would you take for your own outdoor space? Share your thoughts in the Comments section.
Who lives here? A family with two young children
Property A mid-terrace Victorian house with four bedrooms
Location South-east London
Garden dimensions 100 sq m (15 x 6.7m)
Garden designer Simon Orchard of Simon Orchard Garden Design
Photos by Simon Orchard