Case study: Sevenoaks, Kent

Two of the most critical requirements for this garden to include were different places to be able to escape to and bold colour; two difficult aspects to get right in such a small space.

My clients stressful job made having more than one place to relax in this garden essential and each space had to offer a different ‘feel’.  Thus, in one small urban garden there is a place to sit and read in the sun, a place to make pizzas, eat and entertain and an enclosed space that can be used to toast marshmallows in the colder months and cool down in the shade when it’s warm.  There is even a separate space for a teenager to play football.

Different flooring materials were used to differentiate the ‘zones’, including a random mix of Moroccan encaustic cement tiles, Kentish Rag gravel from a nearby quarry and plank paving.  Decorative screens and raised beds created separation between the zones and planting judiciously placed to soften the hard landscaping elements.  We even managed to fit a small crab apple tree into the planting scheme, which is further enhanced by a black fence backdrop.  The bold colours of the walls and raised beds and the furnishings within the ‘cubby’ at the end of the garden were chosen in tandem with my client, who’s love of bright, bold, happy colours is certainly on display in this garden.