Hartford

Date: 2024

Built By:  Base Squared

Photography: Matt Elson Photography

Brief: A beautiful, modern garden in Hartford designed to enhance the experience of being outdoors with family and friends.

The unusual C-shaped garden lent itself to using the ‘garden rooms’ approach, creating multifunctional spaces that can be used for different purposes throughout the day.

Taking influence from the period features on the client’s orangery, the main focal point is a bespoke, modern garden room that echoes styles of the past in particular colonial architecture.  Used as a gym, it features a timeless veranda, elegant aluminium profiling and mirrored windows that reflect the garden to create a sophisticated piece of architecture that enhances the experience of the garden.

The adjacent entertaining terrace with bespoke concrete kitchen island and striking sculptural pots work both as a practical space to enjoy with friends and family but also as an elegant vista, having used high quality materials that can withstand our challenging climate.

The other side of the garden is defined by a striking contemporary steel pergola that reflects the materiality of the garden room but with a variation of textures and form, juxtaposing the adjacent planting creating a space that feels more relaxed. 

A curved linking path of clay pavers connects the two areas and creates a journey through the space, and with so much beautiful planting to encapsulate the garden and breaking up site lines, as the user you are left appreciating the views you are blessed with whilst intrigued as to what joy is around the corner.