Get the Look: Create a Contemporary Garden

07/03/2019 ALDA in Action

We’ve recently completed a stunning contemporary garden in Twyford…

This garden was transformed with a modern new look, and we thought we’d use this blog post to highlight some of the key materials and ideas we used – so you can start re-creating it in your own garden!

The smooth finished linear sleeper beds compliment this modern garden.

The modern water feature looks good against the grey porcelain tiles, as does the gas fire pit on the ’silver’ composite decking boards. And the shutter screen fence with its chrome lighting fixtures neatly encloses this seating area.

The dramatic effect in the evening is the result of up and down chrome lighters which have been attached to the screen fence and a strip of lighting which runs underneath the facia of the decking.

The large grey porcelain tiles and the modern features give this garden a very contemporary look.

A close up view of the shutter screen fence and composite decking.

Our Design Notes

Opt for large rectangle porcelain tiles (1000mm x 500mm) which are on trend especially in this light grey ‘silver’ colour. Minimal gaping between the tiles adds to the modern feel. They were laid throughout this garden including the pathway along the back of the house, down the side and in the front of the house to link the whole garden together. They were sourced from our paving supplier Nigel Belcher Turf & Paving (01635 202700).

A shutter screen fence is one of the quickest and easiest ways to inject some contemporary style into a garden. The long horizontal timber slats laid in a hit and miss effect work well with the other linear features. It is constructed from softwood treated planed and bevelled edge slats (50mm x 25mm) and is used here to enclose the main decking and paving areas in an L shape. See other posts for more examples of shutter screen fences – e.g. here and here.

Try installing softwood treated sleeper planting beds – the planed and bevelled surface of the sleepers make for a smooth finish complimenting the style of the rest of the garden.

Keeping with the grey modern look ‘silver’ composite decking boards have been laid as the base for one of the seating areas. It is becoming a very popular choice not only for its durability but for its eco status comprising of hardwood and recycled plastics. There are also many choices in finishes such as timber effect decks and we sourced ours from the supplier Arnold Laver.

Use modern light fixtures – here up and down lighters have been attached to the shutter screen fence and underneath the decking facia there is a strip of lighting – both give a modern dramatic effect come night time making it an ideal space for entertaining.

Complete the look with a modern water feature like this one with a copper inner and a gas fire pit – both of these are from Solus.

Like what you see?

From planning a new border to a complete garden remodel, we pride ourselves on transforming ideas into beautiful reality, with minimum disruption. If you’re based in or around the Reading and Newbury area, we’d love to meet and discuss your project in detail – book your free no-obligation garden consultation today. We do get pretty booked up, particularly during the Spring, so plan ahead if possible!