Site Specifics
This garden transformation took place at a new build property in Bolton, where the driveway took up the majority of space, leaving the garden unusable, Along with the poorly designed layout, the garden also had no privacy from the surrounding properties and was badly drained, causing it to flood frequently.
The garden features an awkward slope from one end right up the rear boundary, which was cut in uneven shapes. This caused the end of the garden to be curved and unevenly angled, making garden design difficult.
Client Brief
Our client’s brief for this garden transformation was simple; she wanted an inviting outdoor space suitable for socialising and dining with family. Her only requirement was for a pizza oven to be designed and installed into the garden as a functional focal point.
To complement this request, we proposed a bespoke dining area to create the perfect setting for socialising and cooking with loved ones.
Design Solution
A major concern of this garden transformation was privacy, as the home is surrounded by other properties. To remedy this, we used a mixture of slatted fencing and contemporary black fencing to make the garden feel bigger, while also providing screening to key areas. For additional privacy, we also planted pleached trees which will continue to be a main feature in the garden for years to come.
The existing landscape was unevenly sloped and awkwardly angled, which was controlled and levelled out by two steps leading into the main garden area.
The pizza oven, which was a special request from our client, was installed near the back door of the property for easy preparation and tidying up. We installed a chunky redwood worktop with ample storage next to the oven to accommodate wood for the fire, as well as cooking tools and essentials for serving.
The lower area of the garden became the dining area, to provide space for entertaining, socialising and dining as our client desired. Resin bound paving was installed as the surface, as they are hard-wearing, attractive and permeable to combat flooding in this area. The dining area is sunken, and stone feature walls have been installed around the main seating area to enhance the intimacy and sense of depth in this area.
With the low angle and the stone walls, our client now has a private outdoor dining area, where they can enjoy fresh, wood fired pizzas with their loved ones.
For soft landscaping, our gardeners installed several planting options including a small tree, mixed herbaceous perennials such as verbena bonariensis and crocosmia lucifer, and Ophiopogon nigrescens for ground cover. For additional softening of the landscape, large topiary balls in containers were added as decoration to the dining area, as the ideal complement to the rustic stone walls and resin flooring.
4th Dimension
The client has enjoyed many balmy evenings serving homemade pizza to family and friends in the new-found privacy of their clean and modern garden.
