Beautiful Garden in Provence, France
The Brief
To create a garden that provided entertaining spaces for alfresco living and dining
The existing contemporary pool rather dominated the space so the need to reduce its impact within the scheme was needed
To keep some of the original infrastructure in place, such as the existing terraced areas and curved walls.
To make more useable space around the house and open up routes from the house towards the pool and garden which was quite separate
To create a whole new garden in the courtyard area which was a blank canvas of gravel
To retain the majority of the original olive trees where visible
My design
This presented a fantastic opportunity to create a contemporary Provençal garden in the beautiful village of Eygalieres. The existing garden had no relation to the villa and the pool rather dominated the entire garden. To tackle this I created places to journey to within the garden, creating additional lounging and seating areas in order to draw you into the garden where different views and vistas were opened up and enjoyed.
Creating a reason and a journey around the garden by way of pathways between planting beds and olives. Adding more planting to the terraces gives a sense of enclosure to the garden and provides a softer and beautiful outlook from the pool terraces and just as importantly whilst swimming in the pool. It also softens the pool within the landscape.
Adding a new pergola to the outdoor kitchen also separates this space and gives shelter from the relentless sun in this south facing garden.
The small courtyard area provided a totally blank canvas to create a secluded Mediterranean inspired courtyard garden complete with reclaimed water feature and traditional cobblestones inlaid within the limestone paving. This is a place to come and read and take tea in the afternoon and to escape the heat of the sun.
This garden is due for construction in Summer of 2021 so watch this space for updates.