How many times have you wished you could turn your garden ‘inside out’? Alex Daley and Alice Devaney did just that with their show garden “Inside Out”, awarded a Gold and the Most Creative Show Garden. The theme showed how you can enjoy the visual delights of your garden from summer colour to a sparkling winter wonderland, while still protected from the elements in an outdoor space perfectly suited to 21st century living.
Twiga Life-Spaces, based in Macclesfield, supplied the eye catching and innovative garden building. Twiga have challenged traditional ideas about garden buildings, using glass and light to make outdoor living a desirable aspect of modern life. The result is an impressive garden room – certainly a welcome alternative to the traditional conservatory.
Marcus Aldridge conceived the idea for his Outdoor Living Space while building a tree house for his son. The aim is to bring a new perspective to an established and rapidly growing market for outdoor structures. Twiga has also built its ‘spaces’ on roof gardens and terraces and provided a Big Space in the Big Brother house which is being used as the living room on Big Brother 6.
Alice and Alex softened the bold lines of the garden with a clever choice of plants – several varieties of Echinacea, Rudbeckia ‘Green Wizard’ and Achillea ‘Terracotta’ – a sea of green, white and orange surrounding the seating area and a wonderful mass planting of silver birch trees. A garden to inspire many ideas
Inside Out is a modern garden offering a contemporary outdoor living space designed to bring the inside out and the outside in.
The focal point of the design is an ultra-modern garden building made with an aluminium frame and floor-to-ceiling glass. The room provides an area which could be used as a home office, somewhere to entertain or for simple relaxation. White cube lights are sunk into the boundary wall next to the building at different depths and intervals, illuminating the garden at night and reflecting in the raised, seamless pool below.
A mass planting of Himalayan birch trees runs parallel to a limestone pathway, both of which stand out against the gloss black walls at the rear of the garden. The walls act like mirrors, giving a subtle continuation of lines and depth. The planting around the seating area consists of grasses and perennials in shades of green, white and orange, with warm russet tones. The planting combines with the calmness of the pool to create an air of serenity and makes the lounger the perfect place to relax outside.
Designers: Alex Daley and Alice Devaney
Sponsors: Barton Grange Garden Centres, Twiga, Neu Living, Rachel Reynolds, Parapan
Contractor: Alex Daley and Alice Devaney, Barton Grange Landscapes
The RHS Flower Show Tatton Park 2005 20-24 July 2005