Looking at the before pictures of this garden in London's Wandsworth, I think you'd describe it, generously, as having potential. There wasn't much to it, after all, to make it feel like a complete disaster, but an Astroturf lawn can hide a multitude of sins. And, really, it wasn't the sort of space that could give its owners any sense of the joy of being outside.
That's where landscape designer Lilly-Joan Richardson came on board, tasked with the tall order of making this small, blank canvas into a garden with layers of both style and functionality. "A strong connection between the interior and exterior was central to the brief," Lilly tells me. "They were keen to create a seamless transition, blurring the boundaries between indoors and out, and effectively forming an ‘outdoor room’. They also wanted to incorporate a generous lounge area alongside a well-designed outdoor kitchen for alfresco cooking and entertaining."
