Whilst the interior of the extension has come on leaps and bounds in the past six months, it is far from complete and, full of summer promise, we focussed our attention on the garden. With little knowledge of what makes a garden and her connecting patios ‘work’, my research began.
We decided to keep things relatively simple in terms of layout and keep the dining patio in its original position and create a second lounging patio on the site of the old garage so I took a deep dive into hard landscaping materials…
THE INSPIRATION
Some time ago I fell in love with a couple of images online and tracked them back to being the work of Scott Shrader, a wonderful landscape architect based in the US. I ordered his book and the inspiration came in floods with every page turn. I think what struck me most was his use of organic, rustic hard landscaping materials and that introduction into the garden lent a natural, lived in look that appealed to me so much. Shrader imports antique, French flagstones but, alas, this was not a budgetary option for us…
Gifting partnership with Bradstone
MOODBOARD DETAILS
(clockwise from top left)
Old Town Paving in grey green – Bradstone
image via Pinterest
Kettler Kora dining table – Garden Furniture World
lavender bejmat tile – Otto
white bejmat tile – Otto
hydrangea annabelle
Old Town Walling in grey green – Bradstone
HARD LANDSCAPING
Many wrong turns later I fell upon Bradstone Old Town Paving – an eco concrete cast from moulds of the floor of a 19th century cotton mill – it was perfect. I ordered free samples of all three colour options but eventually went for the ‘grey green’ which felt the most natural in a Scottish climate and hopefully satisfied my architect’s request for grey. Initially I must confess that grey not a colour I was keen to introduce but, credit to the pro here, he was absolutely right – it just works and that green undertone means that it weathers so well. Let’s be honest, patio slabs on the wet West coast of Scotland are not going to stay pristine and new for long and I just love that the Old Town already has the subtle beginning of that patina.
Landscaping research taught me that creating zones and layers within the garden would make for a more interesting space and trick the eye into seeing a bigger space with more depth so I decided to add multiple raised flower beds and steps to connect the two patio areas. The Bradstone Old Town Walling has that same imperfect, beautiful feel to it and, whilst it is in fact fabricated from large eco concrete blocks, the face of each one is comprised of various smaller, irregular stones to give that truly old, organic look.
You can order free samples here and find a stockist here.
My love of blue and white in interiors and exteriors, as evidenced here, had to sneak in somewhere and, after much deliberation, I went against the advice of almost everyone, and decided to introduce tiled step risers. The Otto Bejmat tiles lent that same ‘rough around the edges’ feel to the project, were suitable for outdoor use and I felt they paired perfectly with the slabs.
FURNITURE & PLANTING
Although mostly we decided to reuse furniture we already had, we also had a lot of timber leftover from the house framing and it turned out this could be knocked together to create a big farmhouse style, dining table and bench for the princely sum of £12 (for the screws).
When it came to planting, my moodboard was just full of annabelle hydrangeas, wafty grasses and evergreen shrubs so I fully indulged my dreams and filled the beds with a mix of my favourites.
Scroll down to see it all come together…
The Art of Outdoor Living by Scott Shrader – Amazon
THE FINAL DETAILS IN SITU
I could not be happier with how it all turned out. I think the biggest compliment has been when we’ve had visitors and they’ve commented that the patio looks like it’s always been here – for me that just means the world – to have succeeded in creating a space which looks immediately homely and natural in its surroundings.
The organic texture of the slabs and walling play a big part in creating that organic look and the playful touch of the striped tile just adds a bit of the unexpected. Sitting out here, even looking out through the windows, honestly fills me with joy.
For now I shall leave you with these detail shots but do check back in soon – I just need to take a few more photos of the finished space and I will be ready to share the full reveal – I really hope you like it.
This feature contains affiliate links and gifts
