Foxrock

This beautiful courtyard garden only came to life as a result of my clients want and need for a private and stylish outdoor space to complement their already spectacular top floor apartment. A large conservatory room was halved in size to accommodate the new outdoor space. The old roof was moved across, the floor was waterproofed, and all old interior walls were made weather tight and finished in an acrylic render.

As almost everything on this job was bespoke all elements had to be carefully measured up on site and fabricated elsewhere.

Containers were manufactured in Somerset.  Made from 3mm mild steel, they are as robust as they are beautiful. Sprayed in an Anthracite RAL7016 they give a wonderful contrast to the light coloured tiles.

The tiles themselves are porcelain and the colour is a Travertine Ivory. They are incredibly strong, hard wearing and stain resistant. The tiles have been laid on a raised plastic support system which allows for the drainage of water underneath and as not to interfere with the apartment below.

The hardwood trellis was made in Celbridge, sprayed in Wicklow and the mirrors were installed on site by our team. As it’s a completely enclosed space the mirrors add a real depth and give the illusion of a bigger space while also reflecting the many plants and their foliage.

The centerpiece, a stainless-steel blade water feature, was constructed out of the same material as the walls. This was done to add another layer to the space. The sound and look of running water creates a calming atmosphere in the garden.

Planting is a mixture of herbaceous and evergreen plants that deliver colour all year round. More drought resistant plants hug the left and right side while ferns and other woodland plants are found beside the water feature, which would be the case in their natural habitat. There is no need to worry about watering plants either as a timed irrigation system was added. As well as not having to worry about watering plants, irrigation has the added bonus of really helping plants to grow rapidly and ensuring it will look well all year round.

To finish it off and make it a useable space for both day and night, lights were added. LED strips light up both the drip trim running around the whole garden and the back of all the containers.  Spot lights and spike lights were used to illuminate the mirrors, plants and foliage and up/down lights light up the render either side of the doorway.  Finally, a pond light was placed in the container underneath the blade water feature to highlight it at night.

Lastly to link everything together a stainless-steel rope wire was run the whole way around the top of the garden so the beautiful Star Jasmine can be trained and in time will completely grow the whole way around.