Clever structure and a SOOTHING PALETTE have transformed Nikki and Stew Sugg’s overlooked London plot
GARDEN makeover
BEFORE
Having lived with a featureless fence-to-fence lawn since they bought their house in 2006, Nikki and Stew Sugg were more than ready for a garden update. And since adding an impressive two-storey glass rear extension to the back of their house, the garden outlook and the issue of privacy had become all-important. “We wanted our garden to be a relaxed and sociable space where we could spend quality time unwinding with family,” says Stew.
With a similar glass-backed extension next door and surrounded by properties on all sides, the garden was overlooked, exposed and far from the tranquil and private space the couple were after. Step in garden designer Alice Crespi (alicecrespigardens.com). “It was a privilege to create a design that had been so long in the pipeline, not to say exciting to work with a brief that didn’t include ‘low-maintenance please’!” Alice remembers. “The plot gets a lot of sun, so as well as creating privacy, shade was needed. The clients really wanted to include trees within the garden, and this was crucial for adding some mass to what was a large void.”
INITIAL FRAMEWORK
Giving this empty plot some structure was a key element of the design, and Alice worked with the couple to finalise a design that suited everyone. The couple had added a large garden studio to the far-left corner of the plot in 2021 so Stew, a writer and director, could regularly work from home. “Linking this to the house in a natural, easily accessible way was a top priority,” says Alice. “Nikki and Stew knew they wanted to include water within the design and a pergola to frame a main social and relaxation area. The back right corner of the garden was the natural place for this, particularly as the neighbouring trees created the perfect backdrop to soften the tall structure and lessen the impact.”
In the original design, the water feature was narrower, wrapping around the pergola, but this was simplified into a wider rectangular area, making the journey across it easier and safer. A Corten-steel frame was now needed to secure the edges of this larger expanse of water. “The structure had to be heavily reinforced to prevent any subsidence affecting its integrity in future years,” Alice explains.
Positioning trees within the garden was crucial for screening neighbours, creating an attractive rear outlook and to provide an interesting journey through the garden. Alice explains: “It was important to bring height into the centre of the garden and not just to the perimeters, which is where our feature trees came into play. They became the crux of the design, around which the rest of the layout was planned.
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