Poolside Garden, Amersham

The client had recently completed a contemporary extension to the rear of the house and was looking to continue this style out into the garden. The main area requiring attention was the treatment of the area surrounding an existing swimming pool. A large mound of earth, formerly a rockery with a high brick retaining wall, was to be completely removed to make way for a much more open and contemporary inside-out patio and poolside relaxation zone. To ensure a seamless transition from house to garden, a raised walkway runs the full length of the extension and is finished in the same porcelain tiles as the interior floor. An unused part-lawn, part-paved area between the house and pool also had to be integrated and transformed into a lounge-style outdoor dining area with steps leading down to a large lawn on one side and to a side access path on the other. This courtyard-style zone had to be large enough to allow planting that would semi-screen the pool cover and its related mechanics when viewed from inside the house. The outdoor dining zone used a porcelain tile with the look and feel of decking boards enabling this zone to be distinguished from the rest of the hard landscaping by providing a textural and stylistic contrast that breaks up the run of large paving slabs. The planting palette features a simple selection of grasses and perennials in whites, greens and purples which will knit together around the poolside area to create an enclosed yet light feel to this part of the garden.