Fire pit garden.

The Brief:
To transform a square, flat garden surrounded by brick walls and fencing into a contemporary, low maintenance space. The garden needed to be flexible to accommodate a couple who liked to have the family and grandchildren over as well as sit out and enjoy themselves.

The garden was to be used all year round and maintenance needed to be low, with modern materials and easy to clean surfaces. Daytime use had to capture the sun as well as exploiting the shady corner. Likewise the garden needed to be enjoyed during the evening and into the night.

The Garden:
Out of an option of three very different concepts, the fire pit garden was born. The space was split into four zones tied together with a feature porcelain clad wall and perimeter planting bed.

Near the house a raised composite deck walkway provided floor level access to the outside. A large porcelain patio suitable for a table, chairs and BBQ was situated directly opposite.

Stepping off the patio onto a bridge of artificial lawn takes you over to the sunken fire pit area. A central Corten steel fire pit acts as the main focal point to the garden. Chunky feature walls also contain Corten steel fern leaves with glimpses through to the lush planting behind.

A floating composite bench hugs the wall and hovers above the porcelain patio with ease. It provides enough seating for up to 6 people with views across to the feature tree bed and patio areas.
The garden features a full smart lighting system that can be controlled with voice command or from a phone app. The Phillips HUE Outdoor system can bring more life to the garden at night with a huge array of lighting moods and control.

Planting needed to be low maintenance. Feature Amelanchier trees gather around the firepit and patio areas with an island border opposite containing a stunning Japanese Acer. A small amount of perennial plants create a dividing border between the two lawn areas as well as outskirts and infill of the shrub and tree borders to the rear fence line.