Project Year: 2025

Location: Grantham, Lincolnshire​

Time to Complete: 10 weeks

The Brief

This project was all about creating a distinctive outdoor space that combined contemporary garden design with the warmth and character of a Mediterranean courtyard.

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The garden needed to provide several areas for relaxing and entertaining, with a particular emphasis on outdoor cooking, dining and enjoying time with family and friends.

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The key elements of the design included: A dedicated outdoor kitchen and cooking area, a comfortable seating space for relaxing and entertaining, contemporary paving that complemented the character of the property, a  water feature to introduce movement and sound, attractive, low-maintenance planting to soften the hard landscaping, a combination of natural materials, colourful features and architectural planting to create a Mediterranean atmosphere and to reposition the existing seating pod

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The challenge was to bring these different elements together so that the garden felt connected, practical and visually interesting, while complementing the existing stone buildings and courtyard setting.

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The Design

One of the most attractive features of this garden is the contrast between the traditional stone buildings and the contemporary landscaping.  Rather than competing with the character of the property, the design uses the existing stonework as a backdrop, introducing modern materials and features that complement its natural colours and textures. 

 

The garden incorporates different paving finishes, helping to define individual areas while maintaining a sense of continuity throughout the space.  The use of smaller paving setts creates a softer, more traditional appearance, while the larger, light-coloured paving provides a contemporary finish.  Curved edges have also been incorporated into the design, helping to soften the hard landscaping and create a more natural flow between the different areas.

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A particularly impressive feature of this garden is the purpose-built outdoor kitchen.  Positioned beneath a covered structure, this area provides a dedicated space for preparing food and entertaining guests. The kitchen incorporates several cooking facilities, including a pizza oven and barbecue equipment, making it a versatile space for outdoor dining. The natural stone wall provides an attractive backdrop, while the light-coloured roof structure helps maintain a bright and welcoming atmosphere. One of the most distinctive elements is the use of decorative patterned tiles on the kitchen units. These introduce colour and personality, creating a Mediterranean influence that contrasts beautifully with the traditional stonework. The generous worktop areas provide practical preparation space, ensuring the outdoor kitchen is as functional as it is attractive. By creating a dedicated cooking area, the clients can enjoy preparing meals outdoors while remaining connected to the rest of the garden.

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Another striking feature is the contemporary circular garden pod. The clients already had this and we moved it to fit into the new design. Its unusual shape immediately draws the eye, making it a focal point within the courtyard. The curved structure contrasts with the straight lines of the paving and surrounding walls, introducing a softer architectural element. Positioned within its own paved area, the pod provides a comfortable and sheltered place to sit, relax and enjoy the garden. The combination of curved seating, glazing and cushions creates an inviting space that feels separate from the main entertaining area without being disconnected from it. This provides the clients with a choice of places to spend time, whether enjoying a quiet moment or socialising with friends and family.

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Water is another important feature of this garden. A circular corten steel water table has been incorporated into the landscaping, introducing movement and the gentle sound of flowing water. The warm, rust-coloured finish of the steel complements the natural stone and brings an additional texture into the design. The circular shape also reflects the form of the garden pod, helping to create a subtle connection between the different features. Positioned amongst decorative gravel and ornamental planting, the water feature creates an attractive focal point that can be enjoyed from the surrounding seating areas. The sound and movement of the water add a calming element to the courtyard, balancing the more sociable atmosphere of the outdoor kitchen.

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Although much of the garden is paved, planting has been carefully incorporated to ensure the space feels welcoming rather than overly hard or formal. One of the main planting features is the row of pleached trees positioned along the coloured boundary wall. These introduce height, structure and greenery without taking up a significant amount of ground space. As they mature, the trees will create an attractive green screen, helping to soften the wall and provide additional privacy. The warm terracotta-coloured wall creates a striking backdrop, enhancing the Mediterranean character of the garden.  At ground level, ornamental grasses and architectural plants have been positioned within decorative gravel beds. Their softer shapes contrast with the paving and structural elements, introducing movement and texture. Brightly coloured planters in shades of green, yellow, orange and pink add personality to the courtyard and create a playful contrast with the more neutral paving.  The combination of structured trees, grasses and colourful containers ensures that the garden remains visually interesting without requiring extensive maintenance.

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With several distinctive features incorporated into the design, it was important that the garden felt cohesive rather than divided into unrelated spaces. The choice of paving materials, curved detailing and repeated colours helps connect the different areas. The circular forms of the garden pod and water feature provide a contrast to the more linear elements of the outdoor kitchen and boundary walls. The use of natural stone, warm timber, corten steel and colourful planting creates a balance between traditional and contemporary materials.

 

Each area has its own purpose, but the layout allows the clients to move naturally between the outdoor kitchen, seating areas and water feature. This creates a garden that is both practical and attractive, with different spaces to enjoy depending on the occasion.

 

This project demonstrates how a courtyard can be transformed into a distinctive outdoor living space by combining contemporary landscaping with the character of its surroundings. The outdoor kitchen provides a fantastic area for cooking and entertaining, while the circular garden pod offers somewhere more peaceful to relax. The corten steel water feature introduces movement and sound, and the combination of pleached trees, ornamental grasses and colourful planters brings softness and personality to the design. The contrast between the traditional stone buildings and the modern garden features is particularly effective, creating a space that feels both established and contemporary. The result is a unique, Mediterranean-inspired courtyard that provides the clients with a beautiful and versatile garden for relaxing, cooking and entertaining throughout the warmer months.

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A garden that combines traditional character with contemporary design, creating an inviting outdoor space full of colour, texture and personality.