Elegant and effortless – a new layout and clever zoning have transformed this urban garden

Despite living in their Victorian home in southwest London for almost two decades, Lisa and Michael have only recently tackled the garden.

‘All we had outside was a trampoline and an eating area,’ says Lisa. And, as their children grew up and moved to university, the garden soon became an afterthought. ‘I was looking out one day and realised that we never really use the garden, which felt like such a shame,’ says Lisa.

Determined to change how they view and use the space, the couple enlisted the help of garden designer Joanna Archer after discovering her work on Instagram.

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‘I was starting to think about changing the garden, but I hadn’t put any plans into place until Joanna popped up,’ she recalls. ‘Then everything fell into place from there.’ Lisa had some initial ideas about how she wanted her garden to look, but Joanna helped to bring the vision to life.

The family’s main outdoor seating area, which was once tucked away in the shade, has been moved to create a statement feature at the back of the garden, complete with a striking bespoke fireplace. ‘We’re northeast facing, so positioning our main sitting area at the back helped us to make the most of the sun,’ Lisa explains.

Along this same stretch of patio sits the dining zone – a space that Lisa had her heart set on. ‘When we go abroad, we always love to eat outside, so we wanted to be able to do that in our garden,’ says Lisa.

‘We’ve got a barbecue area that we use night and day and the actual dining space is tucked away behind our hut. This means it’s also a private nook where the kids can hang out with their friends.’

The garden’s smart outbuilding is a new addition to the space, too, and one that came as a result of Lisa’s love for mindfulness and yoga.

‘I wanted a space where I could practice my meditation without being disturbed,’ explains Lisa, 'but I also didn’t want the hut to disrupt the softness of the garden.’ So, Joanna subtly positioned the garden building to the side of the space, so that it doesn’t face directly into the house.

'There was a lot of thought that went into the different zones, but it’s really changed how much we use the garden. We are outside a lot now, so the transformation has been incredible for that,’ says Lisa.

Take the tour of Lisa and Michael's stunning garden

'Our main seating area is multifunctional – the kids sunbathe here during the day, and in the evening it’s gorgeous with the outdoor fireplace on.’

‘The hut is only small, but Joanna created a little winding path and placed beautiful plants around it. It feels so inviting.’

‘I wanted flowers that would bring life into the space,' explains Lisa, 'and Joanna, our garden designer, provided bulbs that add so much colour during spring and summer.'

‘I love wild and wonderful gardens,' says Lisa, 'but they’re not always practical. I wanted to make sure our space was easy to maintain.’

‘It was important to strike a balance between beautiful planting and practicality – I wanted everything to have a function,' adds Lisa.

'I wanted the fireplace to be sage green,' recalls Lisa, 'but Joanna encouraged me to pick a bolder shade. I love how it turned out.’

‘Our black fencing helps the colours of the garden to pop,' says Lisa.

'The garden mirror has opened up the space and Joanna added terracotta pots to make an elegant feature,' adds Lisa.

‘I looked around and realised that we didn’t have any natural wood, so I took the green paint only two-thirds of the way up the fence.’

‘The morning sun hits the flower beds, so we made the most of that by slotting in a two-seater table.'

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