‘I've created a HIDDEN GEM'

With a little flair and imagination Sarah turned an uninspiring city garden into a calm and secluded outdoor haven

- HEATHER DIXON/LISA FAZZANI

When we moved in the garden was such a mess,’ says Sarah, describing the fenced back garden of her Victorian townhouse. ‘It was basically just a scrubby patch of grass with unkempt borders and gravel paths edged with broken lumps of concrete. And as there were no trees or greenery, lack of privacy was an issue, too.

Starting point

We both love being outdoors and, even though the space was small, we could see it had potential and lent itself to becoming a sort of outdoor living room. The plan was to make it more private by planting trees around the perimeter and adding layers of planting at different levels. While the house was being renovated, we had two sets of French doors fitted in the kitchen, which open directly onto the garden. We then asked the builders to create a raised patio that runs seamlessly between the kitchen-diner and garden.

Room with a view