PROJECT The Friendly Plant
Our starting point was essentially a blank canvas and an awkward triangle-shaped space. The existing planting consisted of a little bamboo on the perimeter wall and a thread-bare lawn.
Our client loves to entertain. They had a wish list for us to include in their design that included, an outdoor bar area, braai, pizza oven, and a fire pit area.
This was a reasonably large list of items to fit into the small available space. In scenarios like this with limited space, we try to let the space guide our design. It leads to a product in harmony with its surroundings and does not look like an afterthought.
The result of our efforts is a contemporary-styled outdoor space that is very much an entertainer’ s garden which includes:
• An outdoor bar area with a built-in braai and bar counter.
• A steel overhead structure that includes integrated lighting. This gently lights up the bar area without killing the atmosphere created by the nearby fire pit.
• A fire pit area with a cantilever bench that appears to hover over the patio. This bench is lit from below using LED lighting that provides a soft glow under the floating seating.
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