The most prominent feature in this long, narrow garden has already earned itself a nickname, \u201cWe call it the Cubist cliff path,\u201d explains designer Tom Massey<\/a> with a smile. This sculptural<\/a> element merges Brutalist blocks of cast concrete with the experience of a walk along the rugged Cornish coast, complete with the risk of getting one\u2019s feet wet while jumping a stream. \u201cI wanted to create the same sense of adventure and excitement that you get when interacting with a wild landscape,\u201d says Tom. \u201cI took inspiration from the cubist shapes of the architecture, but softened that with generous, immersive planting.\u201d<\/p>\n

IN BRIEF\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

What<\/strong> Long, rectangular, suburban garden on several different levels.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Where<\/strong> London.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Size<\/strong> 250 square metres.<\/p>\n

Soil<\/strong> Poor London clay soil, full of rubble, improved or replaces as needed with a compost-enriched loamy topshoil.<\/p>\n

Climate<\/strong> Temperate.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Hardiness zone<\/strong> USDA 9.<\/p>\n

<\/p><\/div> <\/section><\/div>\n

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This is Tom\u2019s ingenious solution to the problem of how to access the garden from the newly excavated, lower-ground floor of this imposing Victorian house. Basement extensions have become increasingly popular, but Tom was keen to avoid the standard approach to garden access. \u201cThe usual answer is an oppressive bank of steps, with token planted areas, which can feel quite gloomy,\u201d he explains. Instead Tom has designed a series of steps intended as sculpture.\u201cI wanted them to feel interesting and inviting.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\u00a9 Alister Thorpe<\/i> <\/span>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nThe change of levels also gave Tom the opportunity to introduce the element of water<\/a>, which flows down through the space via a series of spouts and pools, buffering the suburban soundtrack of planes or cars. The water is chemical-free, providing a habitat for tadpoles, frogs, newts and dragonflies. \u201cIt\u2019s important that we see our gardens as places that we share with wildlife<\/a>, rather than trying to shut it out.\u201d Tom has tapped into the landscape of the surrounding area by using species that are native to this riverside location, including Crataegus monogyna<\/em>, Deschampsia<\/em> cespitosa<\/em>, Luzula nivea<\/em>, Asplenium scolopendrium<\/em> and Molinia caerulea<\/em>.<\/p>\n
$\"""\"$ <\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div> \u00a9 Alister Thorpe <\/i> <\/span>\n<\/div>\n
Tom used the path of the sun as his guide to design two seating areas, positioning one close to the house where the family likes to dine, and another more intimate space with a firepit to the rear of the garden, where a low-slung garden room serves as a home gym. In between the two areas, there\u2019s an area dedicated to a small patch of lawn, requested by the family as a place for their children to play. A cantilevered bench, made from iroko timber, is a favourite spot for the owners\u2019 daughter to sit and read. These spaces are linked by the coherent material and planting palettes. The cube steps morph into cast-concrete \u2018stepping stones\u2019 that meander through each area, their irregular layout deliberately slowing the pace of the garden user, \u201cso that they become mindful of their every step\u201d. Cast concrete was also used for the retaining walls that gently enclose each area and double up as extra seating, \u201cThere are lots of opportunities for sitting on the built elements, which makes good use of the limited space in this small garden,\u201d explains Tom.<\/p>\n
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\u00a9 Alister Thorpe <\/i> <\/span>\n<\/div>\nTom has tempered the hard landscaping with generous areas of greenery, \u201cThe hardscape is still readable but it is partially engulfed by the softness of the planting.\u201d The clients love ornamental <\/span>grasses<\/a> so Tom opted to champion them in this scheme, with around ten species chosen for their variety of texture, tone and flowering season, including <\/span>Hakonechloa macra<\/em> and <\/span>Sesleria autumnalis<\/em>. The other elements of the planting palette, such as <\/span>Verbascum chaixii<\/em> \u2018Album\u2019 and <\/span>Foeniculum vulgare<\/em> \u201care plants that will snake through the grasses and feel naturalistic, light and airy\u201d, all adding to the sense of a journey of discovery.<\/span><\/p>\n
$\"""\"$ <\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div> \u00a9 Alister Thorpe <\/i> <\/span>\n<\/div>\n
Adding another layer, Tom has included an impressive number of trees in this small plot, including multi-stem Amelanchier x lamarckii<\/em>, Crataegus monogyna<\/em> which is native to this Thameside area, and Pyrus communis<\/em> \u2018Conference\u2019 \u2013 which addresses the clients\u2019 desire for some edibles in the scheme. \u201cThe trees bring a sense of enclosure that\u2019s particularly important in a small, overlooked garden, but the open multi-stem forms still allow light to permeate and create atmospheric dappled shade, which adds to the sense of calm here.\u201d<\/p>\n
$\"""\"$ <\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div> \u00a9 Alister Thorpe <\/i> <\/span>\n<\/div>\n\n
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USEFUL INFORMATION<\/strong>\nFor more information on Tom\u2019s work visit tommassey.co.uk<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/body><\/html>\n
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By Kate Jacobs Published: Tuesday, 26 July 2022 at 12:00 am The most prominent feature in this long, narrow garden has already earned itself a nickname, \u201cWe call it the Cubist cliff path,\u201d explains designer Tom Massey with a smile. This sculptural element merges Brutalist blocks of cast concrete with the experience of a walk […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":13113,"template":"","categories":[1],"acf":{"readingTimeMinutes":"4"},"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/48\/2022\/07\/modernist-hard-landscaping-in-a-suburban-garden-scaled.jpg",2560,1707,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/48\/2022\/07\/modernist-hard-landscaping-in-a-suburban-garden-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/48\/2022\/07\/modernist-hard-landscaping-in-a-suburban-garden-300x200.jpg",300,200,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/48\/2022\/07\/modernist-hard-landscaping-in-a-suburban-garden-768x512.jpg",768,512,true],"large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/48\/2022\/07\/modernist-hard-landscaping-in-a-suburban-garden-1024x683.jpg",800,534,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/48\/2022\/07\/modernist-hard-landscaping-in-a-suburban-garden-1536x1024.jpg",1536,1024,true],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/48\/2022\/07\/modernist-hard-landscaping-in-a-suburban-garden-2048x1365.jpg",2048,1365,true]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"importmanagerhub@sprylab.com","author_link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/gardensillustrated\/author\/importmanagerhubsprylab-com\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"By Kate Jacobs Published: Tuesday, 26 July 2022 at 12:00 am The most prominent feature in this long, narrow garden has already earned itself a nickname, \u201cWe call it the Cubist cliff path,\u201d explains designer Tom Massey with a smile. This sculptural element merges Brutalist blocks of cast concrete with the experience of a walk…","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/gardensillustrated\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed\/13112"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/gardensillustrated\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/gardensillustrated\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/rss_feed"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/gardensillustrated\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/gardensillustrated\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/13113"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/gardensillustrated\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13112"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/gardensillustrated\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13112"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}