Belsize Lane, London
When the Clients bought this lovely family home in Belsize Park they asked Bridget Reading id to draw up plans to completely remodel the house, to include a basement and reconfiguring the layout on all floors of the house.
Our brief was to maximize every possible amount of space in the garden, but with generous planting space for the Clients to indulge their passion for plants. Pleached trees were planted to create privacy around the perimeters, and this natural enclosure lent itself well to creating a superbly sheltered space, especially so in the front garden, which catches the evening sun, and now is home to an olive tree placed in a raised planter set at the end of a stepping stone path. The brief for the back garden was to create a focal point which added an architectural quality, and worked during both the daytime and at night. The Clients enjoyed the sound of water and so we designed a large water wall, clad in cor-ten steel, which is split at nighttime. The garden also features a secret space, tucked away behind the water wall, which is designated as the Moroccan room, for quiet times during the day and evening.
Images: © James Lee Design