Angular Design

Making the most out of the space available in a garden is a key component to a great design. Often manipulating the angle of the main focal lines within a design can create a more functional space, drawing the eye to specific areas of the garden and giving the space proportion. This design technique was recently used in one of our design and construction projects in Binfield.

The challenge

The brief was to create a low maintenance garden, incorporating existing features with new ones, as well as to create new seating areas throughout the garden. This average sized new build garden was much wider than it was long, added to which was the fact that the boundary fence was not square to the house. The garden was quite flat, in almost constant shade, and with a large amount of seasonal leaf fall – resulting in a garden with a distinct lack of interesting features and an area of lawn that was difficult to manage.

Before and After

What we did

To utilise the available space to best effect and give the garden a sense of depth, we created a design using linear lines at a 45-degree angle to the house. This draws the eye away from the back-boundary fence to the far corners of the garden where two structural features, a pergola and gazebo, were placed. The new design was created without a lawned area, and wooden raised planters in varying heights were added. These allow for more interesting planting, easy maintenance and also act as features in their own right – creating changes in level in the garden.

Using a mix of hard landscaping materials also added visual interest and definition to each specific area. Seating areas are highlighted using paving, with access paths in resin bound gravel making a neat transition between each area, as well as being an easy to sweep clean surface. Brick was used for the low retaining walls and for detailing within the paved area under the windows, tying the garden in with the house. Shade loving, textural plating within the raised beds and around the edges of the hard landscaping was chosen to soften the design, whilst being easy to care for.

As garden designers, using different angles allows us to create visually beautiful design without compromising on creating a functional space. Contact us today to discuss your project.