In London, a Crowded Patch of Grass Becomes a Patio for Entertaining
A chic combo of wood siding, clever plantings and lots of elegant sandstone transforms a plain garden into a stylish space
Once a grassy area with a row of overgrown conifers at the back, this compact garden in Chelsea, London, is now sophisticated, sociable and fringed with greenery. “The owners wanted the maximum area for seating, but also a few flowers and trees,” says Stefano Marinaz, who designed the space.
Today, wooden cladding, climbing plants and leafy borders bring privacy and offer a green view from all floors at the rear of the house, while a generous terrace and huge stone bench provide ample seating. Flowers in whites and purples add color and delicate scent to this urban garden, while cleverly designed lighting means the owners can enjoy life alfresco even after the sun goes down.
Today, wooden cladding, climbing plants and leafy borders bring privacy and offer a green view from all floors at the rear of the house, while a generous terrace and huge stone bench provide ample seating. Flowers in whites and purples add color and delicate scent to this urban garden, while cleverly designed lighting means the owners can enjoy life alfresco even after the sun goes down.
To make the most of the available outdoor space and provide a good connection with the property’s two lower floors, Marinaz designed a split-level garden. Sandstone steps lead up from the kitchen, while a metal staircase leads down from the ground-floor living room to a terrace space at the rear.
Folding doors in kitchen open onto generous steps that draw you up to the main part of the garden and its plantings. “You can be in the kitchen and look out and see trees now,” Marinaz says.
He used the same sandstone on the outside steps and terrace that the owners have in their kitchen, so the outside and inside spaces feel connected. “We made a link between the inside and out by extending the palette of materials from house to garden,“ he says. “It feels continuous to the eye, but the surface of the terrace stone is actually rougher, so it’s slip-resistant.“
The sandstone inside the property and on the steps and terrace came from a quarry in Spain. Marinaz also turned two large blocks of it into this striking bench, which provides about 12 feet of seating.
“I wanted to use a single piece of sandstone, but it was impossible to find one that long. We had to have the blocks craned over the top of the house. The road was closed, and it took about three hours to get them here.”
“I wanted to use a single piece of sandstone, but it was impossible to find one that long. We had to have the blocks craned over the top of the house. The road was closed, and it took about three hours to get them here.”
Three multistem Amelanchier lamarckii trees are the focal point of the garden. Beneath them, a mix of evergreen shrubs and perennials includes alliums and epimediums, chosen for their attractive white and purple flowers.
The A. lamarckii trees also flower, producing small pinkish blooms in spring. “The leaves turn a deep orange-red in autumn,“ Marinaz says. “It’s a very strong, beautiful color.“
The two side walls and rear wall are clad in elegant iroko. “It’s a hardwood, so it’s strong and lasts well,” Marinaz says. “It will eventually pale to more of a silver shade. We don’t like to treat the wood — we prefer to let the timber become its natural color through weathering.”
The iroko cladding is installed vertically at the rear, and different-size slats have been used for visual variety. Black hinges indicate the hidden spaces behind this wall, one containing the AC unit for the lighting and another home to waterproof storage for the owners’ garden tools.
“The yew hedge is growing out of a large planter that sits on top, so the trees show over the fence,” Marinaz says. “They provide privacy and prevent the garden being overlooked from the house behind.”
“The yew hedge is growing out of a large planter that sits on top, so the trees show over the fence,” Marinaz says. “They provide privacy and prevent the garden being overlooked from the house behind.”
Three climbers are planted under the metal staircase. “It’s Akebia quinata, which has black flowers and is scented,“ Marinaz says. This vigorous grower will climb up the cladding and eventually around the stairs. “You’ll still see some of the metal structure, but it will be softened by the planting,“ he says.
The three climbers to the left of the stone stairs are Stauntonia hexaphylla, which have small white flowers that are scented. The low shrubs, which are planted along both sides of the steps, are Sarcococca confusa (also known as Christmas box or sweet box). “This is a very useful plant, as it’s evergreen and very scented in winter between January and March,” Marinaz says. “It’s an interesting alternative to box and grows well in either shade or sun, and it’s disease-free.”
Lighting has been cleverly installed throughout so that the space can be enjoyed after dark. The lighting also means the owners can see all the way to the back of the garden from inside the house, which helps to boost the sense of space within.
Tall terra-cotta pots from an Italian supplier dot the garden, adding a sculptural feel. “They’re planted with a few different varieties of Dierama, so we have both white and dark flowers, and underplanted with Erigeron karvinskianus,” Marinaz says.
He chose tall pots to help them stand out against the high boundary walls. “They also raise the plants to eye level, so it’s easy to appreciate the beauty of the flowers,” he says.
He chose tall pots to help them stand out against the high boundary walls. “They also raise the plants to eye level, so it’s easy to appreciate the beauty of the flowers,” he says.
In spring, elegant Narcissus papyraceus, a scented variety of daffodil, blooms in the main bed.
This picture was taken in January 2016, with the daffodils already in bloom. “A bit early!” Marinaz says. “People usually grow these indoors, but they can survive outside in London, where it’s sheltered and generally frost-free.”
Inspiration and guides for city gardens
Inspiration and guides for city gardens
Who lives here: A family of five
Location: Chelsea, London
Garden size: About 26 by 16 feet (7.9 by 4.9 meters)
Designer: Stefano Marinaz of Stefano Marinaz Landscape Architecture
That’s interesting: The garden was completed in September 2015 and photographed again in January 2016, with the daffodils already in full bloom.
“When I first saw the garden, there were conifers at the back that had originally been planted as a hedge,” Marinaz says. “They were left to grow and had basically become trees. They were [about 20 inches] apart, and there were around six of them in total. The rest was grass.”
The owners wanted more usable space, with plenty of seating but some planting too. “We now have about two-thirds seating to one-third planting,” Marinaz says.