The garden is a typical North London terrace garden – long and narrow. We wanted the outdoor space to feel like a proper garden, with plenty of planting and a lawn area, but still have a graphic, contemporary look. Holding strong ecological beliefs, we were keen on building the garden in a sustainable way.

The solution was to use locally sourced, recyclable materials for the hard landscaping: oxidised steel panels from Essex, sweet chestnut deck from Herefordshire and beautiful bricks made in Yorkshire by the York Handmade company. The planting took an ecological approach to planting, encouraging biodiversity and supporting wildlife. The garden relies strongly on herbaceous plants for high seasonality but still has a substantial structural backbone for winter interest.

In terms of layout and design, the key to this garden was unlocked by the creation of a garden partition (an oxidised Moongate) which creates a dramatic division within the space. This physical partition serves two purposes: firstly, as a beautiful visual composition, it provides an important focal point from within the house; secondly, it disguises the ‘working’ part of the garden: the shed, compost, chicken and vegetable garden, which form the actual beating heart of the garden. The circular theme of the Moongate carries throughout the garden: circular lawn, curved path, topiary box balls and globe flowerheads such as Echinops and Alliums.

Photographs © Marianne Majerus and Anna Tott