THE OWNERSHilary Thomas, a managementconsultant. and Nick Braithwaite, amedia lawyer (below), live here withchildren Isobel, 24, and Phoebe, 21

THE PROPERTYA five-bedroom terraced house,built in the 1880s

THE LOCATIONTufnell Park, north London

WHAT THEY SPENTThe couple's garden projectcost around £42,000

ORIGINAL GARDENAbove A traditionalrectangular lawnsurrounded by shrubsdidn't entice Hilaryand Nick to spendmuch time outside

NEW LOOKRight Getting thelayout right was keyfor views from above,and a diagonal designcreates the illusionof a wider garden

lA themed designhas transformedour outdoor space'Hilary Thomas and Nick Braithwaite's structuralcontemporary garden completes the family homeWORDS AND PHOTOGRAPHS MARCUS HARPUR

Soon after moving into our house,we had the basement dug out:explains Hilary. 'We had also wanted

a glass box extension to the rear, butaltered the plans and built a glass walllooking out from the living room onto thegarden. We then had excellent views fromthe rooms we used the most, and realisedthat the house seemed incomplete withouta garden that we wanted to use.'

Hilary and husband Nick's previous gardenhad been bigger, with less hard landscaping.'This one is quite large by London standards,which was one of the reasons we came

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here: says Hilary. 'I liked the idea of switchingto a formal, structured town garden, but stillusing plenty of plants to soften the design.'

The space started as a blank canvas,with only a lawn, some raised beds anda shed, so in order to better organise it,the couple called on Katrina Kieffer-Wellsof Earth Designs after Hilary saw her workon Facebook. A theme and a sketch werethen agreed in a single consultation. 'I liketo evolve ideas alongside the client. so thatthey have ownership of the concept andcan agree or disagree with ideas straightaway: says Katrina. 'I also try to reflect the

I

REALGARDENS,

STATEMENT STRUCTUREAbove The Japanese-style pergola was custom-built and is a great vantage point for gardenviews while dining. The sharp right angles aresoftened by the round lamps and stone balls

style of their home - Hilary and Nick'skitchen is a glossy monochrome design,and I wanted the garden to have that feel.'

The family had specific requirementsfor it: Hilary is an avid gardener and wantedto include plenty of plants, and it had tobe a family space with a practical area.Nick is a keen photographer and oftenuses the garden as subject matter, whilethe couple's daughter Phoebe was keen totry growing her own vegetables, so thereare raised beds. Above all, they wanted aplace where they could relax and entertain.

Hilary's desired oriental look wasachieved with the layout, structures,and the choice of plants, which are mainlyJapanese in origin. Katrina made up moodboards, including images of fire escapesand David Bowie's Aladdin Sane albumcover, and elements of these ideas wereexpressed in the angles of the paths andpaving. With the style agreed, the projectwent fairly smoothly and kept within thebudget, with only the particularly wetwinter of 2012 delaying progress, stretchingit to four months. The ground neededto be levelled, although, fortunately,major groundworks weren't necessary,as everything had to be carried throughthe house - except the birch trees, which ~

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GARDEN ARTAbove Looking backto the house fromunder a tree, Hilary'streasured ThreeFigures sculptures aresurrounded byalliumsand heuchera forshade at this endof the garden

SECLUDED SPOTRight Rattan furnitureand an aluminiumcafe-style table andchairs are perfect forthe sun trap at theend of the garden,with smooth blackpaviours addingto the dynamic

had to be passed over neighbouringgardens due to their large size.

As Katrina explains, the garden isvisible from four levels, so the designhad to be very precise. 'If you don't getthe spacing right, you lose the impact ina small town garden: adds Hilary. Thediagonal angles of the garden create themost striking feature. The path, geometriclawn and hard landscaping are set ataround 40 degrees to the boundary walls,serving two functions - it gives the gardena dynamic feel and journeys to bothsides, making the most of the space.The design also visually pushes out thenarrow boundaries for a widening effect.

From the house, the focal point - andHilary's favourite feature of the garden -is her Three Figures sculpture by KathyShadwell. Spotted in a Sussex shopwindow, they add an international flavourto the garden and accent the orientaltheme. Hilary particularly loves the woodenpergola near the house that overlooks thewhole scene, and which solved an earlyproblem of a large, over-reaching mulberrytree; the highly staining black fruit nowdrop on the pergola roof instead. There isa stylistic reflection of the pergola at thefar end, where glossy black Perspex panelshave been used almost as a fence, perfectlyoffsetting the stark white stems of the birch

82 MAY2015 realhomesmagazine.co.uk

trees, which not only hide the shed, but givethe garden a sense of grandeur. A seatingarea with rattan chairs and aluminiumfurniture adds further to the contemporaryfeel. 'The terrace at the far end is nowherenear the house or any neighbours, so it getssun all day, and is a real draw: she says.

Hilary is delighted by how well her plantchoices have settled in. Arum lilies have beenparticularly vigorous and she has given awaymany Clerodendrum trichotomum seedlings.Her favourite buy is a Japanese dwarf Prunusincisa 'Kojo-no-mai', with its profusion ofpink-tinged-white bell-shaped blooms,bought for £3 at a local garden opening.Japanese maples grow at key intersections,and the garden is mostly monochrome, soa lot of the planting features white flowers

SCREENINGAbove Reflectiveblack Perspex panelsgive a contemporary,sophisticated andenclosed feel to theterrace seating area

at the far end ofthe garden, alsodisguising the shed.Stepping stonesleading up to a smallgravel garden createa senseof journey

in contrast with black stone, Perspex andwoodwork. Hilary has planted Dicentraspectabilis 'Alba', hellebores and the giantrheum palmatum in the shady border.

Two other design features unify thewhole garden: black granite setts, pebblesand gravel are used in bands at right angles,contrasted with pale-coloured slabs andpaviours to give a sharp, graphic feel.This monochrome scheme fits well withthe oriental theme and is visually exciting,but, as a subtle contrast to the straightlines, sandstone and luminous plastic ballsare positioned along the entire length,drawing the eye through the space.'We recently had a gathering of 80people, and the garden was a real asset:says Hilary. 'It made the party.' ..•

AFTER

The garden is divided into differentzones, with the diagonal design actingto enhance the width of the long plot.Planting creates secluded areas for privacy

Paving £12,035VAT £7,059

Planting £4,743Pergola £3,828Lighting £3,474Sundries £2,826

Perspex screens £2,438Clearance and

preparation £2,304Bespoke water feature £1,519

Raised bed £1,425Lawn £705

TOTAL £42,356

THE CONTACTSDesign and construction Earth Designs,0208521 9040, earthdesigns.co.ukPaving MR International, 01375 855678,mrinternational.co.ukGranite setts and paving Rock UniqueLights and illuminated plantersSlide DesignPlants Folia (Europe)

REALGARDENS;PrQject notesHilary Thomas shares herexperience of creatingan elegant town garden

What I've learnt'Don't underestimate how longit takes to plan a successful gardendesign. Think very hard beforeyou start so you achieve what youwant, rather than rushing into it.'

My top tip'Be realistic about what youcan achieve when access islimited. Get the layout right- we found that in a town garden,the horticultural part is not ascrucial as the layout; if you getthat and the framework right,everything else will fall intoplace, so leave the plantinguntU that is done. Set a realisticbudget from the outset andmake compromises if necessary.We'd also recommend workingwith a designer if possible.'

My best purchase'This is my Three Figures sculpture,by Kathy Shadwell, which I boughtin Sussex, plus the pergola. Ourdesigner Katrina's favourite is theblack Perspex panels and silverbirch combination, which bringgrandeur and glamour to the space.'

My go-tostores'We like to use flower bulbspecialists Jacques AmandInternational and the GeeTeeBulb company, and our designerintroduced us to the products ofdesign company Slide Design.'

I couldn't live without ..•' ...our raised vegetable beds,as our daughter Phoebe enjoysgrowing her own veg.'

Inspirational reads'We found The Essential GardenBook by Terence Conran andDan Pearson (£12, Octopus)very useful, and magazines,such as Gardens Dlustrated,help to inspire a design. Katrinarecommended The ModernJapanese Garden by Michiko

Above Box-edgedbeds sit inside theangles of the hardlandscaping. Thisone holds one ofHilary's favouriteJapanese maples,which has strongsaturated colour

Right Hilarybrought herfavourite ceramicsculpture withher from her oldgarden, and itfits perfectly withthe new scheme

Rico Nose and Michael Freeman(£13, Tuttle) for introducingJapanese elements into our garden.'

My favourite spot'The seating area at the far end ofthe garden is a great place to relaxas it always catches the sun.'

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