Well it might not be the most comfortable time of the year to make a leap from interior design into landscape and garden design, but that’s what were doing at the moment here in Hampshire. On a large site between Winchester and Petersfield we’re remodelling an entire plot to make better use of the site and to provide a fantastic new outdoor space which is more beautiful, more usable, and also more manageable.
This isn’t the first time that we’ve been involved in landscape and garden design. We previously undertook all of the concept and layout work for this London design project, but it’ll be the first one on this sort of scale.
The existing site was poorly laid out, with trees and shrubbery in the centre of the site limiting the views and usable space, and with not much beyond that except some dilapidated outbuildings…
…and a variety of ad-hoc additions that had been made over the years. The site also slopes all of the way back to the main property, so it was difficult to make the most of it and use it comfortably.
The new scheme will address all of the issues, terracing parts of the site to create level lawn areas, striking planed and illuminated beds in front of flintwork walls (referencing the traditional building materials of the area and of the original house), as well as a wild flower and meadow grass area, growing beds, and fruit trees. New paved areas will also allow entertaining in different parts of the garden, based on studies of sun light at different times of the day and year.
And just a couple of days in, the site was looking very different indeed!
Having completed a lot of layout work and planning by drawing, once the site was cleared we were able to start testing the layout on the site.
Checking sight lines, circulation routes and proportions was very interesting, and it was wonderful to have the opportunity to do this between breaks in the weather. We were luck that it didn’t snow and cover the strings and battens! Although after a bit of tweaking here and there and testing a few thoughts, we actually settled on the layout exactly as it had been drawn.
This is going to be a very exciting project, and one which will take time not just on site, but also in the long term to mature into our vision for this country home. I’ll keep the blog updated with progress whenever I can.
UPDATE: Progress on our Hampshire Landscape Design Project
UPDATE 2: Landscape Design Materials – Selection and Installation
