GARDEN DESIGN
BLANK SPACE TO
SENSE OF PLACE
BY JACOB BETTS , GARDEN DESIGNER , URBAN EARTH
When I first saw the original garden , I was struck by the contrast , a new build house untouched by time and the elements sat within a featureless garden consisting simply of a mass of overturned soil and spotted grass , as if the old field the house had been built on was still there . However , this blank canvas space also presented a great opportunity for something new and rather special to be designed .
Our client wanted us to turn this area into a stylish and contemporary space , something fitting for a new build property . The new garden was to include planted areas and one special herb planter with Basil , Thyme and Mint , to be used in the kitchen and for outdoor cooking within a new bespoke Larch timber covered structure . This wooden finish would also be mirrored in the slim larch baton screening to enclose two sides of the structure to create a feeling of enclosure , but also in screening that would soften the more unsightly but practical elements of the garden .
To accentuate the freshness of the property and to meet the low maintenance required in the brief I chose a clean white , if mildly textured , ‘ Ivory ’ porcelain ( from the Marshalls Vitrified range ). This was going to really complement the Quartz wall slips ( also from Marshalls ). The cream colour of the wall slips with natural variation next to the more uniform , but just as bright paving slabs all makes for a very clean and uplifting look . There are areas of matching colour gravel for some textural contrast to the paving slabs .
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