Set in a quiet cul-de-sac in a village near the city of Cambridge this 1970’s bungalow came with a generous wrap around garden. My client’s had transformed their property into a contemporary dwelling and extended up and more recently out into the back garden with a kitchen extension. An art loving couple who love to entertain were looking for a low maintenance contemporary striking design that complemented their new kitchen extension.
They had designed and built, themselves, a rather large yet attractive circular naturalistic water feature in the style of a large rock covered mound with three main streams running down into a large sump.
The brief was to build a decked area, possibly a composite material, whilst also including some stone in the design.
Given the size of the water feature which dominated the vista from the huge windows of the new extension the design had to provide enough visual weight to provide balance and also covering the large grill of the sump situated in the lawn.
Whilst not in the brief we also took the opportunity to repurpose a neglected area adjacent to the new extension where an underused but useful access route could be given a new lease of life and provide a better flow around the property.
The design consisted of a Venn diagram style ground pattern with three interlocking incomplete circles of decking, two large and one smaller. The material used was composite Millboard decking in an enhanced grain oak finish. This material is amazingly durable and low maintenance not having the inherent problems often found with wooden decks. It is of a synthetic resin origin with a built in grippy top layer yet it looks very authentic as it is actually moulded from 7 different casts of actual oak deck boards.
The deck wrapped around the rear of the house with the two large overlapping circles running from the large sliding doors of the extension up to the edge of the water feature. This also served to cover the sump grill whilst still providing access to the water pump inside.
Where the two circles overlapped an eye shape was thus formed which was laid to black slate with black pointing. This was set flush with the decking to maintain a single level.
The third circle connected to the rear circle and linked up to the aforementioned previously neglected area and doorway. An oak beamed pergola was installed in this area too. The circular decking was edged with Millboard edging trim and fascia boards sat underneath. The whole of the decking and patio was nigh on flush with the inside level making a seamless transition to the outside once the sliding doors were fully opened up.
A simple yet vibrant planting plan of transparent perennials, grasses, ferns, Hostas and cascading ground cover was added to complete the look.
The Green Lounge 