Desert Modernism garden design in Sevenoaks
See how I transformed an overgrown, undulating plot into a Desert Modernist garden.
The Brief
This garden in Sevenoaks belonged to a recently refurbished modern home, and the owners wanted the garden to carry the same contemporary feeling outside. During our early conversations one particular style kept coming up as inspiration: Desert Modernism – clean lines, bold blocks of colour, gravel, boulders and architectural planting. That became the backbone of the whole design.
The starting point was not easy. The plot was overgrown, and the ground was noticeably undulating, which made setting levels one of the more difficult parts of the project.
An old, red greenhouse no longer in use
Overgrown and underused, both the shed and the garden as a whole
A ripped pond liner reflects the tired nature of the garden
The Design
The two coloured walls do a lot of the work. I coloured them to pick up the tones in the Moroccan encaustic cement tiles used in the designed outdoor kitchen, so the garden reads as one considered space the moment you walk out through the bi-fold doors. In front of the walls, the planting has a second life after dark – the beds are front-lit, throwing the silhouettes of the evergreen plants up onto the coloured render so the walls become a living, moving piece of art, a canvas of shadows that shifts through the seasons.
The whole garden reflects the interplay between natural and man-made materials, a key tenet of the Desert Modernist style.
A floating patio surrounded by architectural planting and a blue tiled, raised bed
A multi-material path dissects the garden
Part of the outdoor kitchen overlooking the garden
This was a full garden design project in Sevenoaks with a budget of around £55,000-£60,000. The site’s undulating ground made levelling one of the trickier challenges but it’s also what makes the finished garden work on every level – literally.
If you’re in Sevenoaks or the surrounding area and you’re planning a new garden, I’d love to hear what you’ve got in mind.
Get in touch by email at hello@saulabbottgardendesign.com or call me on 07522 491794.