In the zone

Using clever design and planting, Pauline has transformed a blank canvas into an elegant, contemporary garden complete with social spaces, a cutting patch and a pond

- NATASHA GOODFELLOW

The joy that a garden can bring to our lives can’t be underestimated. So just as much thought and consideration should go into its planning as we give to rooms inside the home. And, as with interior design, the best place to start is by deciding how the space is to be used; the targeted purpose will govern layout and furnishing choices. Pauline’s plot is a shining example of this. With clear and distinct zones for socialising, relaxing, and growing flowers for cutting, her garden is a gorgeous and functional oasis.

‘When I was looking for a new home years ago, some things were non-negotiable,’ she says. ‘The house had to be a renovation project and the garden a blank canvas, and it had to face south. I wanted a place which had sun.’ Pauline found what she was looking for in Bounds Green, north London, and immediately set about a major refurbishment of both house and garden together. ‘The garden was nothing more than a stretch of lawn with an old apple tree in the middle. I had my heart set on a clean, contemporary design which would also allow me to indulge my love of plants.’