Autumn is the perfect time to start planning your garden for the following year. Here, Patricia Fox from Aralia, talks about one of her bespoke garden designs – a roof terrace in the heart of Knightsbridge, which has been shortlisted for the Society of Garden Designers Small Residential Garden Category
Clients often contact us far too late, in perhaps April or May with high hopes of us waving a magic wand to transform their garden in a matter of weeks. Sadly we’re not magicians, we don’t have those kind of magic wands, but we can transform your garden into a beautiful space if only you give us enough time. The autumn is the perfect time to arrange a Design Consultation, one of our design team can come and meet you in your garden; we can assess your space, and begin to understand your objectives, lifestyle and expectations for your new garden. Just imagine sipping that G&T next summer with friends and family, admiring and enjoying your beautiful new garden….
This late 19th century property in Knightsbridge London was selected by one of the leading luxury international property developers, to renovate into luxury apartments with an adjoining roof terrace to the rear. We were appointed, together with a multidisciplinary team of architects, engineers and interior designers to overcome the sites constraints and create a beautiful and very high quality roof terrace London garden.
Typical of many small London terrace gardens, this came with a number of constraints particularly relating to privacy. The terrace was sandwiched between two terrace rows and therefore was significantly overlooked by the adjacent neighbouring property, together with apartments on upper floors. We had to carefully consider how privacy could be achieved without limiting the existing light levels that, due to its aspect, were far from ideal. Another constraint was the fact that the terrace was on a podium above the basement level and therefore weight limitations and any build up requirements were very restricted, and therefore had to be carefully coordinated with the project engineer.
In response to the client brief the design divided the space up into three key areas that helped reduce the existing ‘corridor’ affect. These areas consisted of a dining area linking seamlessly to the kitchen, a lounge area complete with a fire pit, which provided an entertaining space with luxurious seating and a small intimate snug area that linked to the master bedroom.
Each area was unique in its design but shared the same material language to ensure a consistency throughout the garden. Beautiful and elegant features were included to give visual delight and provide focal features within the space. The most spectacular of which included a full-length water feature, which split the terrace meaning that each side was only accessible via a single stepping-stone. The water feature consisted of a very clean and simple water chute that spilled out onto the dark grey surface and seamlessly down hidden slots creating a stunningly reflective element. A soft cascade sound from the water added to the overall ambience of the space and helped drown out the inherent urban sounds.
Other features included two elegant metal arches that provided a transition between the terrace and the towering buildings adjacent. The use of climbing plants up the arches also added a sense of privacy to the lounge area from the above apartments. A series of clean-lined raised metal planters were used to both define the different spaces and resolve the limited build up available to us. Coloured to match the water features, the planters created a fantastic backdrop to the space and highlighted the beautiful planting scheme.
The result was a roof terrace in Knightsbridge that offered the user a sumptuous garden retreat.
For more information, go to Aralia
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