A selection of our favourite large gardens

The large pool

If you are lucky enough to have a large garden and a budget to match, a large pool and paving area can look amazing. The key to the design success of such an area is to use high-quality stone which provides an elegant frame, with a lush lawn surrounding it to create a natural softness.

The Victorian walled garden

You can really sense the life these aged bricks have had – it almost looks like the garden has been built around them. The paving also complements the brickwork, being in the same colour spectrum.

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The illuminated garden

Contemporary gardens can really come to life at night – the ambience created by the reflection of light against the white rendered wall is so inviting. Garden lighting is much more commonly used in Australia and America, and it’s about time more people in the UK started to realise the potential of outdoor lighting schemes. The illumination of a well-designed garden can help to soothe stressed minds, and our all-too-often miserable winters can soon be forgotten with the warm, ambient glow of beautifully highlighted garden features.

Circular lawn garden

To raise any shape, whether it be a circle or square, is highly effective, especially when using a material such as reclaimed brick; the colour it can provide varies from a deep red to white. The paving also complements the brickwork, being in the same colour spectrum. The owner of this garden had seen the first garden on this page and really liked the design so they requested a similar style but asked us to modernise the design slightly. We achieved this by using calibrated stone which means that the stone is very regular, providing a more modern look. A lighter stone would have overpowered the design.

The rustic contemporary seating area

This was a challenging brief: to create a garden utilising both contemporary and rustic styles. In my mind it is like making a Ferrari front and sticking an Aston Martin on the back! The difference between the rustic stone and the rendered walls is rather unique and interesting, however, and the apple trees and grasses finish it off nicely. Overall I was pleased with this and felt the garden excelled in its meeting of the brief, though admittedly it is a very unconventional design.

Pool garden

This design illustrates the ideal way to incorporate a pool into the garden. It is a common error to place the pool too close to the house, which can actually create a barrier between the house and the garden, rather like a moat. Although water can have a soothing effect on even the most stressed mind, what we really crave is the colour green, which releases endorphins into the brain. This can be in the form of either grass or plants. A narrow pool sits perfectly in the midst of seating and planting areas. We have achieved clean, bright lines aside flourishes of nature: a comfortable place to relax.

Angular topiary garden

The pronounced form of this contemporary garden echoes the grand, landscaped royal estates of old. Strikingly angular topiary, accentuated by its matching islands of stone frames, evokes a feeling of controlled serenity.

For this design a simple but tightly complementary colour scheme of green Buxus (Box) plants with cream paving was used.  The lighter shades complement the deep, rich tones of the plants, as well as providing a pleasing contrast in texture.

Lakeside pool

The design features an ‘infinity pool’, normally associated with more exotic locations where a pool backs onto the sea and appears to blend seamlessly into it. Here, designed to echo the beautiful environment, creating a multi-layered experience of being both a living space in its own right, and a viewing platform.

The design called for a humbler stone that lies quietly in meditative hues and does not distract from the powerful panorama. The only boundary is a minimal bar-fence, so the end of the garden and the start of the rest of the world is almost indistinguishable.

Small pool garden

This design illustrates the ideal way to incorporate a pool into the garden. It is a common error to place the pool too close to the house, which can actually create a barrier between the house and the garden, rather like a moat. Although water can have a soothing effect on even the most stressed mind, what we really crave is the colour green, which releases endorphins into the brain. This can be in the form of either grass or plants. A narrow pool sits perfectly in the midst of seating and planting areas. We have achieved clean, bright lines aside flourishes of nature: a comfortable place to relax.