The owners of a contemporary house built in the early 2000s, with their boys ‘all grown’, decided to renovate and update throughout, add a gym and ceramics studio in the garden to create their ideal ‘ever after’ home. They wanted a new ‘adult’, contemporary garden with a linear layout to reflect the house, pathways through naturalistic, soft, vibrant planting, (no topiary, low hedging or ‘solid’ shrubs), a pond and lots of interesting places to nestle their African sculpture and plenty of space for relaxation and entertainment.

The rear garden was designed as a modern, balanced parterre with lines tied back to the glass doors to anchoring long views, which lead to dog leg paths creating a circuitous route throughout. Generous terraces combine crisp, gleaming, green-grey Scottish Schist paving with sustainable Kebony decking which is reflected on the facades of the house, gym and studio drawing together the buildings and the garden. A large, natural pond is wrapped in planting. Crunchy aggregate paths are studded with paving and Pratia pockets and a boardwalk floats over boggy planting. Metalwork matching the door and window frames of the house retains levels and steps. Multi-stem Osmanthus, Cercis, Cornus, Prunus and Acers provide three-dimensional interest. A pair of calm, L’ shaped Pratia pedunculata lawns provide a contrast with a planting of grasses and perennials in rich oranges, burgundies and purples in constant motion.

Strict, linear geometry gives way to a gently curving. hoggin path around the house through replanted tree ferns, small Phormiums and lush, verdant planting to the front.