ProjectBrockley Garden Design, London
Some gardens are for admiring from the kitchen window. This one was built to be lived in, cooked in and relaxed in.
Brockley Garden of Wellness & Entertaining
A rear garden rebuilt around how this family actually wants to live outdoors: a dining and lounge patio, a bespoke outdoor kitchen, a garden room for music and exercise, and a wellness corner with sauna and plunge tub, all wrapped in lush, no-turf planting.
Details
London, SE4
83m²
When we first arrived, the garden was overlooked by an ageing wooden BBQ unit and a patio that fell short of the space it could be. The rear boundary was buckling under the weight of an overgrown, ivy-covered tree stump next door, weeds had taken over the back bed, and the turf did little to make the space feel like an extension of the home.
We extended the patio to a full 5m depth, big enough for both a dedicated lounge seating area, right where the light hits best.
A bespoke outdoor kitchen with a kamado-style barbecue, sink, fridge and storage now anchors the space, sheltered by an aluminium ‘wood effect’ pergola canopy, whilst also providing additional screening from the neighbours.
At the end of the garden, a purpose-built garden room houses a drum kit and exercise space, soundproofed and finished with a charred timber frontage.
Alongside it, an outdoor sauna and cold plunge pool turn the back of the garden into a comforting wellness corner.
We took a no-turf approach throughout, replacing the previous lawn with planting beds for small trees, flowering and edible planting, all on irrigation so it thrives with minimal upkeep.
New 6ft boundary fencing on both sides gives the whole garden a sense of enclosure and privacy it never had before.
After chatting to a few garden designers, it was an easy decision to go with Katerina because of the practical, positive approach she took to our project. We had some complex requests and some pretty daunting access challenges, and she wasn't fazed by any of it.
We are more delighted with the end result than we could have imagined. All four of us are spending time in the garden every day, whether that's the gym, the music studio, the sauna, or just sitting outside enjoying the views. We gave Katerina total free rein on the planting and she's given us a gorgeous, textured, slightly wild garden with loads of colour. It's changed our relationship with our home.
— Andrew and Amy
Services:
→ Garden Survey
→ Full Garden Design & Planting Plan
→ Project Monitoring
→ Material procurement
→ Sourcing Plants & Trees
→ Garden Lighting Design
→ Furniture Procurement
→ Design and procurement of bespoke items
Photography | Rachel Oates
Suppliers | Clay Pavers - London Stone; Sofa - Bramblecrest; Aluminium pergola - Atkin & Thyme; Outdoor kitchen - ; Patio table and chairs - Sklum; Decking - Envirobuild; Charred timber cladding - TimberULove.
Landscapers: Major Gardens
Garden Room & Sauna: Eleventrees
