Courtyard Garden Design

If you have been following our personal self-build journey over at Inside Number Sixteen on Instagram, you will have witnessed the beginning of our courtyard garden project. Michael Costello our landscape designer and mastermind of this project has created the design for an elegant and liveable garden room.  Within this blog post I will set out our plans to create a relaxed and inviting space. 

To create what feels like an extension of our home, Michael has designed a courtyard garden to the rear of our property that reflects both the traditional and contemporary elements of our Georgian style new build home. A timeless courtyard with a large expanse of modern contemporary limestone paving that will offer an open plan space for outdoor dining, relaxation and a safe play area for our young family.  

To heighten the intimacy of the courtyard living space the combination of four pleached Holly Oak trees and Portuguese Laurel hedging will allow for dense screening, provide shelter and a backdrop to the entertaining area. 

Adjacent to the contemporary courtyard will be a functional space for car parking and bin storage. The use of reclaimed Belfast cobble and gravel adds a textural contrast from the smooth limestone which provides a connection to the old style grey sandstone stonework of our garage. The addition of metal railings will confirm a boundary and box hedging used to tier the planting scheme to the lower level.  

The planting scheme will aim to provide constant colour, movement and foliage texture all year round. A combination of grasses, perennials and mixed traditional shrubs will be planted in a modern fashion. Mass planting of Hydrangea alongside classic plants including Achimellia and Hosta intermixed with grasses will provide a modern contemporary feel.

A classic contemporary dining table and seating will be centred in front of the French doors to the Orangery. Modern classic soft seating will offer a relaxed space to enjoy a glass of wine or coffee. A mixture of materials will be used to add interest, with similar tones between the two seating areas. 

Large plant pots in a variety of forms will be incorporated to soften the landscaping and add structure and dimension to the courtyard, enhancing the country house feel.

This large scale project will of course be undertaken in stages throughout the next year. Gardens take time to grow and mature and we are excited to see it evolve and look established within our countryside surroundings. 

with love, Helen

*Some images are for inspiration and sourced from Pinterest