The Family Retreat
(Sydenham)
Family Garden Design in Sydenham
Between Crystal Palace and Forest Hill, this Sydenham family garden design was ideal for this long plot.
Benefiting from post-war land division common across the neighbourhood, the brief was to make a family-friendly garden that kept an existing patio and improve the entire space for wheelchair access, entertaining and children’s play.
This garden first gained a wheelchair-friendly area outside the back door, with a combination of resin-bound gravel, clay pavers and natural stone.
Garden design that solves problems
When we first met this Sydenham family, their sloped garden had uneven DIY steps that made it impossible to safely access the lower garden. The family couldn’t see how the space could become a multi-zone garden retreat accessible to all in the family. So we created a masterplan to give them a bespoke garden that uniquely works for them.
How a masterplan helps a garden design
A masterplan can help phase a build to help the family budget. We used it to make the area nearest the house useful immediately.
Then we terraced the upper slope and added wide natural stone steps that double as seating when watching the kids play in the large lower level.
Gabions were used, that is, metal cages filled with stones, for added texture and as a place for the kids to store their collected treasures from woodland walks
Phase a garden build over time
The next build phase will add wildlife features like a pond, entertaining features like a garden room and hammock for evenings relaxing in the setting sun. The client can get this built when their budget allows.
Phase one provides accessible spaces for the whole family to gather. Those with mobility challenges can once again join in outdoor dining.
This project shows that with thoughtful design, a sloped garden, accessibility challenges, budget phasing and multi-use spaces are possible.
Contact us to discuss transforming your family's outdoor space.
Testimonial
“We reached out to Melanie to transform our large family garden and make sense of two levels. In response to a long list of desirables she was able to deliver a masterplan that we can build in stages over time. The first stage is now built and we're so happy with the transformation it has made for our family. We've got a beautiful new entertaining space that we're using all the time and has completely changed the way our home and garden connect to each other. Communication was easy and brilliant throughout the project, and Melanie was an absolute pleasure to work with.”
The 10 guiding MHGD project principles
Each Melanie Hick Garden Design garden works to as many of our ten principles as possible. This project incorporated these garden design principles
Belonging, sense of place, stewardship - a family garden that took the blank canvas into the future.
Climate resilience for a robust future - kept existing paving, introduced porous additions.
Accessible ways in to the garden - a fully wheelchair -accessible area for a family member in a wheelchair.
Discovery and play to connect with nature and each other - large areas for childrens’ play and gabions for their nature collections.
Emotional wellness for rest, grounding and resonance - seating for adults to gather. A sun terrace for cocktails.
Spatial organisation - the pleasing outcome of good design - generous paths and steps.
Cultural meaning with art, storytelling and artefacts - Dutch bulbs hinting at the family’s heritage.
Species-specific habitat to measure our effectiveness - A planned pond to add water from a blank slate.
Reclaimed and low carbon materials - UK stone and maximum planting areas.
Retain high value existing trees and links to history - Kept ancient apples for interesting gnarls and twists.
Melanie Hick
Related
Projects
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The Entertaining Retreat
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The Family Retreat
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The Levels Garden
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The No Lawn Garden
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The Rooftop Garden
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The Dark Urban Retreat
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