Client: Private | Completed 2023

Featured in House & Garden, April 2025

‘The smaller the garden the more important it is to curate its contents’. Deceptively simple interventions have transformed both front and rear gardens for this beautifully renovated villa in Notting Hill. At the front, we used curves to greatly enlarge the planted area whilst still retaining sufficient off street parking. Two multi stemmed Prunus serrula trees add light screening from the street. Beautiful polished mahogany bark adds year round drama. The trees are underplanted with grasses, perennials and layers of bulbs to give successive flowering Feb-November.

In the rear garden, formerly entirely paved, we again took circular forms as the inspiration and added another Prunus serrula specimen tree to link the two garden areas. Stone pavers follow curving edges, setting them on a diagonal greatly enhances the sense of space. A simple clay bowl filled with water doubles the impact of the planting, adding reflective light and ‘bringing the sky down’. A bespoke curving timber bench with tailored outdoor cushions maximises the available space and a bespoke outdoor kitchen is perfect for a client that likes to BBQ year round. Adding the firepit/occasional table has made a wonderful place to gather family and friends to catch the last of the sun