This feels like a real tease -I’m sorry (kinda).  But I suppose it wouldn’t be a real garden story if you didn’t feel the full range of emotion that a garden design client feels.  Including impatience. ;0

When building a garden with a design and build team, there is, of course, the excitement of the crew showing up.  The rapid change as everything quickly gets torn up is startling and amazing.  Then the period where the hardscaping seems to take so much longer than you want it to.  But when the plants arrive the thrill comes back…..but you will have to wait until next week to see the end…..but until then, you can wallow in the middle part where a whole lot of stuff happens but it sometimes seems like forever until those workers will be gone!

Images from Earth Designs – See the beginning stages of this  garden story here and here and here.

I am so torn, I thought this feature should be every week, then every other week, then now, I am back to thinking every week….Because I seriously just can’t wait to share with you the plan and the 3-D renderings for this super cool Garden Story project.

Katrina’s at Earth Design’s Solution:

“The garden combines functionality and contemporary elegance to create an unusual and usable space.  It is divided into three areas, each with a distinct purpose and ambiance.

The first section, adjoining the house, is dedicated to relaxation and entertainment. Directly outside the patio doors will be an area of oak decking, chosen to echoing the floor of the kitchen. This deck will be large enough to accommodate a weatherproof rattan sofa. Along the right side of this section will be an outdoor dining area.  Surfaced with Mint Fossil sandstone, this area will benefit from a substantial dining table and benches constructed from railway sleepers.”

“The second, central area of the garden is planted with low maintenance architectural plants.  Four screens of various dimensions emerge from the planting and help to obscure the rear of the space from view.  Each screen features a different material: wooden panelling, textured stone tiles, stainless steel mesh and orange Perspex.  A stainless steel water blade installed on one of the screens will give the space a contemporary feel that emulates the interior of the house.”

“To the rear of the garden the final section is home to the children’s climbing frame and a storage unit for bicycles. This section is hidden from view by a timber screen. An artificial lawn provides an extremely low maintenance and safe surface beneath the climbing frame. A low, timber framed tunnel with coloured Perspex lenses in the roof provides additional opportunity for play. Both boundaries will be softened and masked by climbing plants.  The existing row of conifers at the back of the garden are to be retained to provide a backdrop to the garden and privacy from the road beyond.”

To see previous installments of this Garden Story click here and here….in order.   Next week — We will see the construction get underway!

Katrina’s back with the next phase of the current Garden Story — we kicked off this series with The Breif – which you can see here.

I am so excited for these ladies, and given their obvious high level of general chutzpah I think that we have probably been best friends in a past life (and perhaps need to become BFFs in this one).   Their story is simple, they moved their design business to a new building in Greenpoint Brooklyn (NY) and found out that their landlord was going to lease the empty lot next door to become a parking pad.   So they stepped in and with a kickstarter campaign raised over $23,000 to take over the lease and create an urban community garden. Rock on!

Note: for some reason video embedding is being a bit funky today — so I am going to have to send you here to check out their awesome video about the project.

You can follow their progress (as I will be doing) on their tumblr blog and on their facebook page and on their business site - domestic construction.

Their plans involve a place to grow food – complete with geodesic greenhouse for winter production, a bunny hut, and what they are calling a lounging hill (because Greenpark apparently doesn’t have enough hills — and quite frankly we all know every garden needs a lounging spot and place to take it all in).

Dive into the gallery to see more of their progress.   I am so happy that there are people like Maureen and Trish in the world!

So this is the big news.  I am officially taking on a whole variety of writers to help create fantastic content here.  I feel so lucky to be able to round up such a great group and I am pleased to introduce you to the first.  Katrina Kieffer Wells (read more about her on the updated writers page) is the woman behind Earth Designs, a London based garden design firm (become a fan of them on Facebook here).  Katrina works with her husband to create all kinds of imaginative landscapes for her clients and she is going to be here every week to share the story of one project at a time.   It is like the ultimate before and after….in that we all get to follow along through the whole process.   Have you ever wondered what it is like to work with a designer and have your garden built?….Well, here is your chance to be a fly on the wall and see the ups and downs, as it goes, week by week.

This is Kat and (husband) Matt….Designer and Builder….purrfect.

I pondered long and hard about what to call this feature and then one day it hit me.  When I was pregnant with my daughter (my first) I was obsessed with this British TV show called A Baby Story.  The show (which follows all the gory details of one couple’s baby story) actually creeps me out a bit these days, but back then I loved following along with the soon to be moms and dads as they became parents.  When I think of this feature it sort of strikes me the same way….except we will be replacing extreme birthing room shots with the hard labor and the dirty mud that comes with giving life to a new garden.  So without further adieu, I introduce to you ….A Garden Story.

Every garden design project starts with a brief….it is the basic gist of the clients wants and needs and what we have to work with…..here is the brief for the first project that we will be following along with….

The Breif

Did you flip through the whole gallery?  Good….we will be back next week (same Thursday afternoon time) with the next installment of A Garden Story where we will see Kat’s Mood Boards and proposed design solutions.

Tell me, what else would you like to see or learn from this feature?   Are you as excited as I am to see what is next?  ;)

This before and after definately makes into the Studio ‘g’ before and after hall of fame (that doesn’t currently exist — but when it does…..)

Here is the before:

Oh this is so exciting…..

I wish every homeowner had this level of vision, sense of personal taste and sheer guts.

Of course it helps that Priscilla and Ivan are design and build experts…..you can see more of their amazing portfolio here.  (we are talking modern bouldin castles, chateaux,  and houses with more character than you can shake a stick at).

are you ready for it…..

Totally WOW right!?!  I was utterly speechless myself when I saw it.  Apparently they ‘lifted’ the facade by 5 feet (I have no idea what that might have entailed) but it worked.  WOW!

Found via desire to inspire.