Highgate - Family Garden

This large Victorian villa in Highgate, north London had been earmarked as a home for life by the family with young children. The garden therefore needed to accommodate this vision, and cater for a growing family, but also respect the house and the site by creating a family garden that worked for the adults as well as the kids.

A patio area directly outside the main living area of the house, provided extensive seating for family dining, while overlooking a large central lawn that is mainly given over to play at the moment. The edges of the lawn area have raised plant beds that also conceal side paths leading to an area at the bottom of the garden where a vegetable garden, and traditional square greenhouse with a decorative pyramidal roof becomes a point of visual interest and destination. Another small garden building on the opposite side again provides a destination along the resin bound pathway that traverses the garden.

The romantic, informal layout of the garden, enjoys richly planted beds with the raised planters around the lawn providing great variety and colour while their elevated position ensures minimal interference with the ball games played on the family lawn.