This garden sits on an historic square in Kensington, West London. Two tall, existing trees shaped the whole plan, and we worked around their root zones from the very first drawing.

The York stone was already on site. We lifted it, recalibrated it and relaid it, and much of the design is about playing with that stone. The water feature takes the same stone feeling in a different direction.

The boundary walls needed rebuilding. For privacy, we added willow screening instead of simply raising the walls. It gives height using a natural material and brings in texture at the same time.

The planting is soft, green and textured, so the garden still has plenty to give in winter. We designed planters with a fabricator to suit the space, and worked with a lighting designer on subtle lighting for the evenings. Water and drainage were key to the design throughout.

We worked closely with the architects, building contractors and craftspeople on the details, and it was a real team effort.