The patio with its brick walls beautifully blending in to its surroundings and the planting maturing nicely, it was a pleasure to take in the stunning views across the landscape and revisit this garden three years after it was designed and built.
A large country garden where the clients have been struggling for some time to practically enjoy their outdoor space. The garden is dominated by a steep slope falling some 12 metres from the house to the bottom. This makes it difficult to sit out and take in the amazing views across the Sussex countryside.
This project was designed for the clients in phases so that they could manage their budget sensibly. The design allowed for the construction of one phase to neither impact the build nor the usability and enjoyment of the garden by doing the next. The first part of the work was to terrace the main areas of the garden, creating level lawns, interesting planting, and a fun route down to one area for contemplative relaxation – the circle garden, and another for sheer pleasure – the amphitheatre, with views down the valley beyond. The levels were retained using low level sleeper walls which echo the amphitheatre’s construction.
The existing Yorkstone path was bordered either side with new beds to give a grander and more obvious approach to the house, guiding visitors up to the front door. The addition of a soft planting design with some fiery colours helped to created interest and focus. These were then lit to give a different effect in the evening when the structural forms of the grasses and taller plants are emphasised.
Original Yorkstone paving was re-used and expertly blended with carefully selected reclaimed slabs to create a larger curved terrace area by the house for outdoor entertaining. From here, well-proportioned steps take you down through the upper garden area on a journey to the other unique outdoor spaces including the amphitheatre and circle garden, whilst always focusing on the incredible view. We worked with skilled local landscapers to execute the design and are managing the project throughout to ensure it is delivered on time and on budget, with the standard of quality we expect.
This is a sleeper wall construction with a log/cushion store to the left in order to fuel the central fire bowl. The store is finished with a sedum roof which gives a lovely contrasting colour to the oak and sandstone. A bespoke designed and custom-built steam bent bench goes around the central fire so that even on chillier days and evenings this space can still be enjoyed.
