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look out the heroic bi - fold doors of their novel kitchen — an extension of an old biz custodian ’s bungalow build on a former country estate in Hertfordshire , England , in the 1700s — proprietor Jacky and Gary O’Leary can figure the history of this pastoral spot , surrounded by fields and gardens and traditional influence , such as a cockerel weather condition vane , a rustic pergola smother in wisteria , and dog - toothed brick walls line the southern perimeter .
A traditional herbaceous border in full bloom beckons visitors to take a trip to the yesteryear , through the old brick archway and gate in the background . Photo by : Elliot Hook .
“ The design is sympathetic to both the contemporary taste of the owner and its ethos , ” says London - base garden room decorator Daniel Shea . “ The landscape play with this apposition of old and new complementing each other and creating an atmosphere that sits well in its milieu . ”
An oak tree pergola , weather to an attractive Ag gray , marks the entrance to the firm , ushering visitors down a York Harlan Fisk Stone nerve pathway . Traditional herbs of lavender , empurpled salvia , and bronze fennel line the bed , heralding back to the internet site ’s agricultural roots . At the remnant , a sugarcoat ceramic urn provides a focal point . Photo by : Elliot Hook .
The owner wanted to make panoramic view they could enjoy from the indoors year - cycle and add way run out to the garden and to other area of the belongings . The paths are a admixture of York stone and reclaimed red brick locally sourced from within a 10 - mile r . “ For all the hardscaping , the utilisation of local cloth was at the forefront of our minds , ” say Shea .
spread out bi - fold doors create a unlined transition between the garden and the new kitchen extension . A elusive color palette of grey-haired and white was used to chew over the contemporary tasting of the owners . picture by : Elliot Hook .
Just outside the bi - fold door , Shea establish a pack of cards of sun - bleach out balau wood and a full - distance reflection pocket billiards . “ This feature really helps accent the grand scale of the kitchen and its relationship with the garden . The two areas are almost symmetrical in dimension , and with the bi - flold room access , the garden and kitchen integrate seamlessly , ” Shea explains .
A bronze heron overlooks the brick - edged reflexion kitty , with the tall grasses ofCalamagrostisxacutiflora‘Karl Foerster ’ in the background . Photo by : Elliot Hook .
A bronze Hero overlooks the brick - edged pool and a long herbaceous borderline spanning the distance of the kitchen , which is planted with herbs and late - summertime perennials that tie in with agrarian surroundings of the property . Shea chose the plants for their robustness and architectural quality , ensuring that they would be in scale with the unexampled extension .
A unsophisticated steel water armoured combat vehicle is nestled between Hakone grass(Hakonechloa macra)and Alpine wood fern(Dryopteris wallichiana ) , with tuft grass(Deschampsia cespitosa)in the foreground and smoke tree(Cotinus coggygria)in the ground . Hart ’s tongue fern(Asplenium scolopendrium)and European wild ginger(Asarum europeaum)serve as terra firma cover . picture by : Elliot Hook .
“ I always focus on scale and bang well - proportion strong lines . I seek to specify the palette of plants and colors so I can double them throughout the site and create a unified design . I spend a lot of clock time connecting with the site and produce a space that is harmonious to its surroundings , ” Shea say .
An old logic gate remains , symbolic of a doorway to the properties preceding . pic by : Elliot Hook .
The gentle foliage of Mexican feathering grass(Stipa tenuissima)spills onto a path of rescued cerise brick lead to the greenhouse . Lamb ’s ear(Stachys byzantine ) , purple sage , and bronze fennel make up the rest period of the plant pallette . exposure by : Elliot Hook .
The plant were carefully selected for their lustiness and architectural lineament , such as this combination ofCalamagrostisxacutiflora‘Karl Foerster’,Echinacea purpurea‘White Swan’,Stipa tenuissima(Mexican feather grass),Veronicastrum virginicum’Album ' , and coarse Florence fennel . photograph by : Elliot Hook .
The reflection puddle sweep the entire length of the kitchen , reflecting the authorise clouds . An herbaceous border of grass and perennials provides yr - round interest . pic by : Elliot Hook .
To see more of Shea ’s body of work , study this GardenDesign.com story : London Garden name Day and Night .
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