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TOP: Rich, jewel colours, low level seating and aromatic planting provide a cosy spot outside.
FAR RIGHT: Pale cream, fresh green, warm wood bronze and chocolate colours are the basis for this outdoor room.
ABOVE: Raised planting beds, Donegal quartzite and a rug of Chamomile.
Large pots with simple lines make an elegant statement.
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‘A Tuscan Illusion’ (top) was designed for the
House and Garden/Daily Telegraph Fair in 2004. This tiny courtyard evokes the warmth of Mediterranean evenings and a refuge from city life. Based on three -dimensional rectangles, raised planting beds integrate the garden and house, maximise space, minimise maintenance and offer extra seating for parties. They also provide free draining soil for Mediterranean plants – ideal for hosepipe bans. A rug of aromatic, chamomile lawn is slipped into crisp, Donegal Quartzite paving. The focus of the garden is an intimate, low-level seating area nestled into planting. A glass coffee table maintains the feeling of space. Planting is soft, sensual in rich, jewel colours, which is picked up in the silk cushions.
Photographs by Marianne Majerus
‘Espresso con Latte’ (left) was designed for the London Garden Show in 2002 . Coffee and cream colours characterise this elegant, urban garden. The layout is based on two levels of overlapping, rectangles twisted to an angle to increase the sense of space and direct the eye to a tranquil ‘L’ shaped pond and steel sculpture. Materials are pale limestone and reclaimed wood. A cool, fresh lawn lies like a rug on a floor. Planting is soft and based on a palette of silver, bronze, magenta, purple and white. White stemmed birches shimmer above rectangles of box hedging and lush ferns. A row of clipped box balls in large, cream pot, boldly accessorise the garden.