There are many gardens in such places such as Dubai where a pool will back onto the sea, commonly known as an infinity pool. This is not just for such exotic locations, as this can also be implemented in Britain by backing a pool onto a river or lake. Such a design is more suited to a humbler stone, one that blends into the background and allows the eye to focus on the natural movement of the water.

When designing smaller gardens, we endeavour to give the impression of a larger space.  To accomplish this, we create dividing lines and varying areas of interest to attract the gaze of the viewer. In other words, when someone looks around different areas of the garden space; and the eye drifts from one point of interest to the next, the garden will, in essence, look much larger than it is.To achieve this, we begin by identifying the location of fixed utilities, such as sheds, Bar-B-Ques, seating areas, etc., and then find the best way to design planting solutions around these.

If space is limited, avoid the pitfall of converting an open area into lawn or a seating area, in the hopes of making your garden appear larger.  Rather, create the illusion of space by using diverse plant textures and surface materials, thereby adding interest and tempting the eye to travel here and there, taking in the varying looks and textures.

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 commonly used in Australia and America and its about time the UK started to realise the potential of outdoor lighting schemes. The illumination of a well-designed garden can help to soothe stressed minds, with our all too often miserable winters soon forgotten with the warm ambient glow and beautifully highlighted garden features.

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. You can really sense the life these old bricks have had - it almost looks like the garden has been built around these aged bricks. The paving also complements the brick work, 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.

When gardens are this small, and the brief is there must be plenty of lawn we are left with one option, to create a garden using curves with one or two focal points. One of the focal points can be seen above, it is a circular seating area, it actually comes as a kit so it is very easy to install, one thing to take into consideration, is are you actually going to sit on it ? this might seem like a strange question. If a table and chairs where placed on the paving  you will no longer be able to see the shapes. A small bench placed towards the back of the seating area would be a great addition, providing a place to sit whilst not hiding the shape.

The Modern Urban Victorian garden is one we definitely favour.  The simplicity and elegance create an ambience which is difficult to replicate in a larger garden.  One key ingredient in the recipe for the ideal Urban Victorian garden is good quality paving stone, which is then framed using box hedging.  In the traditional Victorian garden, the paving or lawn is framed with box hedging, and, if space allows, a few flowers are added to brighten the space.  The flowers will also add a pleasing texture, and complement the box hedge.

This was a challenging brief to create a garden utilizing both contemporary and rustic styles. Its is like making a Ferrari front and sticking a Aston Martin on the back. Half way through the project I was concerned that the overall effect wouldn’t look right but I hope you agree that the difference between the rustic stone and the rendered walls is rather unique and interesting, along with the pleached Apple trees and grasses. I feel this garden excelled in it’s meeting of the brief, admittedly thou it may not be everyone’s cup of tea

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. You can really sense the life these old bricks have had - it almost looks like the garden has been built around these aged bricks. The paving also complements the brick work, 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.

Smaller gardens require a little more thought, such things like line continuations and Visual movement have to be taken into account. To break it down a little and get away from design talk we are quite simply trying to take you on a visual journey using lines that stop your visual movement moving straight to the back of the garden , we need to make the eye move left and right, as can be seen from the picture above the eye stops at the of the stepping stones and moves along to the planting.

This is another great example of how curves work in a garden the brief was to have an area of astro turf and make use of the two existing heights, we have achieved this with the use of a curved wall leading to a water feature. Water features in any garden are a nice addition especially in smaller gardens, the sound of running water creates an atmosphere of tranquility and peace, there are many psychological reasons for introducing water into a garden, it gives you peace of mind that water is on hand.

A garden with a marked difference in  heights might tempt you to think of it as a drawback, and imagine that the garden would look so much better if it were flat. On the other hand, we, as garden designers, prefer to see the positive side and look at the opportunities presented here by the variations in height.  Such a garden allows us to separate it into spaces that add genuine interest and help to show off the different surfaces and textures in a more dramatic way.

As a designer it is all to easy to use complex shapes and lines in a garden. I remember my first design class ( 14 years ago, wow I feel old ) the first design we went through was the 2 circle design and still I find it hard to get away from,  the gentleness of each curve the way it gives the garden more width, your eye travels quite a distance , if you where to measure the actual circumference of each circle you might be surprised in the total length. It is this length that makes the garden look and feel bigger. Which is why we have used a stepping stone walkway, using a solid pathway would of broke up the garden to much making the lawn feel like to pieces instead of one therefore breaking up the circumference of each circle.

If you are lucky enough to have a large garden and budget to match, a large pool and paving area is a must. The key to the design success of such an area is in using high quality stone which provides an elegant frame, and a lush lawn surrounding it creates a natural softness.

Sometimes a large garden really cries out for a water feature, like the one above. Before the addition of the water feature the garden still looks great, but the summer house is the key feature and that's where the eye is drawn to; without another feature the eye won't move around the garden, and therefore 'visually stagnates'. The pond helps to balance out the garden and creates a journey for the eye which nature creates all so easily.

These can be very effective in creating dividing lines in a garden, and in creating illusions of space or intrigue.  If you do, however, opt for a square design, then you should remember that your choice of materials is key to achieving the best result.   We do recommend that a square garden be designed around a granite-paved patio or be paved with the highest quality stone.  Simplicity is central to the success of such a garden, and the minimalist look works beautifully here.