With teenage sons (and a boisterous young dog), the owners of this Edwardian house felt it was time for their outside space to ‘grow up’ too and wanted their garden to be crisp and uncluttered like their interior, but tempered with soft planting, water, herbs and as much lawn as possible.

Like many gardens in north London, there are challenging levels to negotiate to gently draw the internal and external living space together and maximise living space.  Here the descent to the lawn is made via expanses of terrace and a reflective fishpond, which is the focus of the kitchen and family living space.  Planting introduced directly outside the house softens the hard landscaping and brings greenery up close throughout the year.

Photographs by Matthew Gilbert