A garden for a chef

The brief

This very small garden was designed for a young foodie couple. One is a chef and passionate about entertaining and cooking outdoors, both with a sharp eye for design and desire for the garden to compliment their very well curated interior.  They were keen to grow some herbs and a few vegetables, have enough space to have a few people dining alfresco, have a state-of-the-art outdoor kitchen, and some form of seating that would be inviting while acting as a focal point.  They also wanted some soft planting to create a feelgood factor and balance the hard landscaping.

What I did

I came up with a scheme which is practical while stunning visually - and fun, which I believe ticks each of the boxes on their design brief as well as reflecting them as people and their lifestyle. When I first visited them, they were exploring fake lawn and I’m so glad they agreed to go with the combination of gravel, black limestone and encaustic tiles instead! When I told them I would be incorporating a giant black board, an outdoor kitchen, a free standing hammock, a small tree, a large border, a small gravel garden, a dining and kitchen area, a raised path and raised vegetable bed, they were concerned it would look crammed and fussy….who wouldn’t,  the space is 8 x 5 metres after all!!!  But I knew it would work! The space is breathing and each area feels right. The hammock hangs above aromatic plants such as thyme, rosemary and lavender, the existing fencing batons have been partially clad with mirror and black perspex, the dining area will sit 6 people comfortably and the garden completely works as an extension of their rear room. Tick, tick, tick.

The big big green cooker is from Big Green Egg, the black limestone from London Stone and the encaustic tiles from Mosiac Del Sur. 

Photographs by Anna Batchelor.