A contemporary garden design near Stamford, Lincolnshire
A market town full of characterful and charming properties and a fabulously youthful and vibrant energy, Stamford is a garden designer’s delight. So, when the call came from this particular customer in a beautiful small village on the outskirts of Stamford we were naturally really excited.
Time for a change? We want to contemporary seating and entertaining area
The design brief for the new garden was pretty simple- having spent more than ten years creating an absolutely lovely traditional rural garden, our customers felt it was time for a change for an important corner of their garden. With a derelict pond, a crumbling timber arbour, and two dated stone raised beds, it was all beginning to feel a little tired and needed to be replaced.
“We’d like something it bit more contemporary” they said when describing the new seating and entertaining area they wanted our help with, “ideally something that gives us somewhere to sit and relax in both the sun and in the shade, and which also gives us a bit of protection from the prevailing wind”. Ok, we can help with that.
A clean and simple contemporary design for a small garden
Our garden design concept is deceptively simple, but perfectly suited to a smaller garden area like this. Three identically-sized squares link together to form a compact but delightfully different space. The first square provides relaxed and comfortable seating and is accessed from the main garden via three comfortably-wide steps. This change of level creates a sense of ‘destination’ and added interest for the first square, but also helps to reduce the effects of the winds.
An L-shaped waist-high glass screen provides additional wind protection whilst maintaining uninterrupted views to the rest of the existing garden. A statement ‘open-sided cube’ structure with a removable overhead canvas sail completes the space perfectly and provides a little welcome shade at the height of the summer.
The adjoining second square is a single step higher and boasts a centrally-positioned water feature for sound and visual interest. Made from corten steel, this stunning feature definitely adds a contemporary edge to the new garden. The gently bubbling water creates just the right amount of relaxing background noise, before disappearing and recirculating via a self-contained reservoir.
Our third square is another single step higher and is dominated by a large overheard corten steel structure. Providing cooling shade for throughout the day, this commanding contemporary structure extends to the full width of the square. Offering wonderful views across our new creation and beyond to the rest of the wider garden, this is a particularly pleasing space in which to sit and pause for a well-deserved rest.
Carefully selected hard-landscaping materials
A clean and simple effect has been maintained throughout this project by very deliberately choosing to use only two different materials. Italian porcelain paving (supplied by our friends at Talasey Group) was selected for the paving and step treads, whilst corten steel has been used for the step risers and the retaining walls. The colour and textures of the porcelain and corten steel complement one another perfectly, and both look great alongside the property's textured stone walls.
Low-maintenance planting design
Our low-maintenance planting design is also very deliberately restrained. Simple evergreen planting either side of the space is calm and relaxing, and very easy to look after. The boundary fencing is painted a crisp shade of dark grey, adding to the cool and contemporary feeling, its strong horizontal lines leading the eye wonderfully towards the rest of the garden.
Subtle garden lighting design
At a very early stage of this project our customers told us that they were keen to incorporate garden lighting design to help them make the most of their new seating and entertaining area. Whenever we design garden lighting, we always suggest a subtle approach, and this project was no exception.
Eight small low-voltage LED step lights provide the vast majority of the lighting. Finished in stainless steel, they gently ‘wash’ the porcelain paving with a soft warm-white light and ensure that the steps can be navigated safely. Together, they create a lovely atmospheric effect, making the seating and entertaining area particularly attractive in the evenings. The water feature’s built-in light completes the lighting design, illuminating the bubbling water so that the light appears to dance as the water cascades.
A small, contemporary garden, designed for relaxing and entertaining
It is always fun to design a garden near Stamford and this was a hugely enjoyable project for Tythorne Garden Design. We are delighted with the finished results- the new garden design successfully delivers our customers’ brief and has created a contemporary seating and entertaining space that has become one of their favourite places to be:
“From our first meeting with Ian we knew we had found the right man to redesign our patio area. We had no clear idea what we wanted so he gave some valuable input and then designed and delivered a superb contemporary space which we absolutely love. We recommend Tythorne Garden Design without hesitation.”