London
RSL was given free rein in an unusually large London Thameside garden, to the rear of a Grade II listed West London Georgian house. Mirroring the drawing rooms in the house, RSL transformed a desolate piece of land into an elegant ensemble of interconnecting outside spaces, each with its own character and use.
First, an ugly metal canopy that dominated the front garden was removed and replaced with walls hung with scented jasmine and interlinking raised flower beds. In the big back garden, there is now an expansive lawn where children can play ball games and a new pool house with a sunbathing terrace, while the parking areas have been cleverly screened by semi-mature Magnolia grandiflora and hornbeam.
The space has been utterly transformed into pastoral, ornamental spaces for relaxation and dining and linked sympathetically to the house’s classic architecture with York stone pathways and terracing. RSL has also done this by not overburdening the garden with too many elements and transforming the space rather than just filling it.