A Victorian townhouse courtyard where contemporary meets heritage, providing a sense of place which maxmises space.

Location

A stylishly renovated Victorian terraced house situated in West Hampstead London, featured a courtyard which was letting down the team.

Brief

To create an outdoor room the whole family could enjoy, in a cottage, country garden style. With space to sit and entertain outside, the clients also asked for a small shed, low-maintenance planting and a spot to enjoy a glass of wine after a hard day’s work.

Design

The Narrative: A Contemporary Country Courtyard which is an effortless extension of the stylish interior, providing an outdoor room which is multi-functional and framed by inspirational planting.

With a focus on a heritage colour palette with a twist of contemporary materials, this contemporary country courtyard reflects and connects to the client’s Victorian exterior and fabulously renovated interior, giving a sense of place.

Providing the Victorian country heritage backdrop, I designed a bespoke corner shed which has a touch of yesteryear, connecting to raised planters. Wood panelling throughout provides a classic touch with Farrow and Ball ‘Green Smoke’ matching the interior palette. Whilst two-tone paving from London Stone brings a contemporary twist, further complimented by galvanised steel planter accessories.

In the sunset spot, I created a new simple place to enjoy, called the Sun Spot Snug. A bespoke cedar bench seat with stylish chairs, framed by fragrant Trachelospermum jasminoides evergreen climber. A great place to kick back and enjoy the sunshine, glass of wine in hand.

A beautiful old pear tree hugging the right boundary was retained, however the remainder of the old courtyard was stripped out and reworked. With pockets of shade, partial shade and sun, my planting design follows the light. With raised planters in shader spots and in-ground planting for sunnier beds, my design mixed low-maintenance evergreens, shade and cottage inspired planting with interest throughout the year. Winter greenery, autumnal tones, along with the excitement that spring and summer brings all feature in this lovely garden.
 
"The garden is so transformed, we absolutely love it. It feels like part of our house now in a way it's never done before, and it's really improved the quality of our time at home. Thank you again for such a lovely design." Penny, London.
 

Build: Fairweather Landscapes.

Size: 20m²

Duration: 2022/2023

Status: Completed

Photography by Elissa Jane Diver.