"We keep admiring our garden and marvel at how you managed to come up with such a clever design, it so works for our garden, and we get so many compliments for it!"
Christine Whatley was asked to design the awkward outer areas of a garden where the architect of the modern glass and zinc house had stopped short. She won the prestigious SGD "Big design, Small budget" Award in 2013 for the first corner.
The first corner to be tackled was dominated by a large protected Horse Chestnut tree. This created a large dry barren unused area in full view of the kitchen and dining areas of the house. The tree was however a splendid specimen, and Christine's design ensured that it became the focal point rather than the problem.
The new garden has a series of raised beds and lawn. As well as creating level areas and strongly architectural changes of level that blend well with the existing garden area, the increased soil levels give new planting a good chance of getting established without having to compete with the tree roots.
The materials used for the existing garden are predominantly grey painted decking and slate chippings, tying in with the look of the house. The boundaries are much more natural and wooded, so softwood sleepers introduce a more natural material whilst still hard edged to blend from the house to the wooded areas. Using slate chippings again in the step treads and bench area ties everything together.
The new garden has brought to life a previously unused corner of the garden - it provides a pleasing view from the kitchen in which the Horse Chestnut takes centre stage, a place to sit and look back at the house, and a new place for the children to play.
At the Society of Garden Designers Awards 2013 the judges said of the garden "This is a good example of how a smaller budget need not compromise good design. The planting palette is simple and self-confident and the drifts and associations of plants work well with the overall composition, setting and site conditions."
The second corner took its inspiration from the name of the house "Kinesis" which means movement in response to a stimulus. This garden is full of movement and centred around another huge tree. A spiral path has created a strong connection between the house and garden that had previously been absent. The view of the house at night from the terrace is simply stunning.