An enclosed courtyard difficult to reach from all but house.
An enclosed courtyard garden off London road, was needing updated as a space to relax and entertain in. Access from the property was via a set of steps along the right side of plot, past the small garden of the basement property below. The garden is overlooked by a great living room/ evening snug with panoramic windows. The garden space is set deep within a large Edinburgh Quad which has a very old bowling green club as its central point.
Amazing high stone walls.
Access to the garden is via shared corridors, pathways, a neighbours garden and a door access through the wall. On arrival the small and proportionate garden is mainly lawn with border beds, roses and a small seating area at far end. storage is on the left side nearest the house with stairs located on the otherside.
A space that makes us want to go out on the good days…
The garden is in a good spot and gets a lot of sun in the summer months, however the owners found they were rarely enticed out to use it on the good days and now that they had brought their property together in a way they liked, they wished for their garden to join it.
Design marked out…
The new design seeks to connect up the different areas and create an interesting space easy to get around, maintain and enjoy the good days in. It also needs to look great from the property above to help entice you out when those occassions arise.
A landing connects the bottom of steps with access gate plus a path that snakes around the full width and length of the garden. A new larger terrace is marked out and new bed areas for increased planting to wrap around the garden
Landing on your feet
Better defining the area and making transitions in and out the garden as easy as possible, are key aspects towards encouraging greater use of the space. Keeping some lawn in the middle, is important to helping a partially shaded site still feel open and bright.
Access is difficult
As everything in and out needed to travel 300m+ through a network of paths, our design approach of re-use and minimising new materials required in, was important.( the new stone wall was discussed ..fully)
New garden begins to emerge
All the existing plants remain within the garden, some have moved. A new stone terrace is waiting for any trepid explorer tackling the steps and venturing out for a sunny drink. Greater luxury is planned for a longer stint just off from the main terrace…
much to entice
Having descended the steps and followed the path around, relaxing options abound
Keeping it simple
Through keeping it simple, a great useable outdoor space has been built, despite it’s difficulty as a location to access. A garden that will thrive in full sun or partial shade has been created and hopefully the owners will venture out a lot more often now.