Large Family Garden with Stunning Pergola and Garden Room Office

"Nick and Doug were recommended to us by local friends who had commissioned them to transform their London garden. The impact was astonishing and we couldn’t wait to overhaul our garden with them.

Nick and Doug make a fantastic team and are an absolute delight to deal with. We started the process with a long meeting to discuss objectives and budget. They both had great vision and ideas, pushing us to broaden our horizon but always taking into account our own style. We felt fully included in the process but undoubtedly their design exceeded all our expectations.

As part of the brief we wanted to incorporate a garden room/home office and Nick & Doug helped create a integral indoor/outdoor area. We really have gained two more living spaces between the garden and home office. They cleverly designed the garden into different zones. It has made the garden more versatile and it feels larger despite the 45m2 garden room across the end.

The design is beautiful and incorporates a variety of materials and textures to give depth and interest. The planting is stunning with a soft palette of blue, purple, pinks and white hues. Many friends have commented that it looks like a garden from The Chelsea Flower Show. It is a haven of tranquility to sit on the terrace in the early morning sun with the paper and coffee and then, at the other end of the day, to gather friends under the pergola to enjoy a fire pit and music.

On quieter evenings, just enjoying looking at the garden from the kitchen with its subtle lighting makes the whole house feel more spacious. We wouldn’t change a thing and are thrilled with it. To top it all Nick & Doug have introduced us to a fabulous maintenance team that keep it looking like new and they stay involved with ongoing planting decisions like spring bulbs. We could not recommend The Distinctive Gardener more highly."

- Emma & Michael SW18

Completed in spring 2021, this is a garden that we so enjoyed designing for our wonderfully enthusiastic clients. The large bespoke garden room was key in the design as it spans the entire back width of the garden, and had to accommodate two home working areas as well as a casual TV seating area, gym equipment and a beautiful, full-size bathroom.

And, oh yes, the stunning large Acer tree had to stay – which meant its trunk is enclosed within an inner courtyard which we incorporated into the garden room itself.

In order for the garden room not to visually dominate the garden, we designed this contemporary pergola to act as a focal point and as a place for the family to sit and relax. The structure was engineered to allow for the roof beams to be free standing, which makes a great architectural statement. Vertical struts at the far end of the structure allow for glimpses of the lushly planted bed that lies beyond.

The wall of pergola has decorative tiled panels highlighted by brass down lighters, which ties in with the brass interior of the black pendant lamp you can see hanging down from the central beam.

This seating area is defined by using ornate patterned tiling to form a carpet effect, set within the limestone paving border. The bullnose paved edging to the lawn is further enhanced with the addition of more ornate tiling running under the length of the paved edging.

Despite the garden room encroaching on the garden’s length, the clients wanted a lawn large enough for family ball games and general relaxation.

We also created a second terrace leading out from the kitchen-diner for occasional dining. This sunny terrace runs the entire width of the garden and can seat 12 for dinner, as well as a full size table tennis table and a corner seating unit.

As with all our designs planting is key, and large beds were created to soften the bold lines of the hard landscaping. The inclusion of numerous trees compliment the large Acer at the rear of the garden, and provide welcome dappled shade throughout the summer months.

As seen in the images above and below, all the beds are underplanted with evergreen topiary for structure, and delicate perennial planting for seasonal colour.