Screening an Overlooked Garden to Create an Outdoor Room
Our clients lived in an established estate in Loughborough, and their garden had a problem with overlooking properties. This was an issue for them as they wanted to install a hot tub in the garden, and to create an outdoor room for dining and entertaining.
Our design included various screening solutions. The hot tub itself, set into a decked seating area at the rear of the garden, was screened by a substantial, bespoke timber pergola. The design of the pergola allows plenty of light in, but the angle and thickness of the uprights create a capable screen.
In other parts of the garden, we installed rows of pleached oak trees, which will grow to form an attractive barrier from overlooking windows. We also added young multi-stem birch and cherry trees which also create a screening effect.
Elsewhere in the garden, we designed the planting to have a layered effect. Yew hedging provides year-round structure and is planted in front of rows of shrub hydrangeas, which add bold splashes of colour when in flower.
Central to the layout are two corten steel planters, filled with a mix of perennials and grasses. We continued the corten steel theme with three taller planters, filled with Libertia.
The paving was a smooth stone, chosen to match the interior of the property. When the bi-fold doors are open, this creates a continuous flow of living space from in to out.
The lighting scheme was designed in partnership with lighting specialists Inui, and the shadows created in the evening create a dramatic effect, setting off the more sculptural planting and the slatted timber screens.
McKay Landscapes of Barrow on Soar expertly did a high-quality landscaping installation.
Below are a couple of pictures of the garden before work began.
UPDATE: For a timelapse film of the complete build, see Time-Lapse Garden Transformation.
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