Fulham courtyard garden design

A major house renovation provided the perfect opportunity to transform this once-neglected Fulham courtyard into a garden worth spending time in. The brief was simple: more planting, more character, and a space that would feel as good to look at from inside as it does to sit in.

The tired fencing was replaced with warm cedar slatted panels, and the borders were significantly enlarged to allow for a generous, naturalistic planting scheme. Yellow lupins, purple alliums, lavender, astrantia and tumbling erigeron daisies create a cheerful, cottage-garden abundance through late spring and summer, while carefully chosen evergreens provide structure and interest through the winter months. An olive tree and a graceful multi-stem Amelanchier add height and year-round presence.

Herringbone brick paving runs through the heart of the garden, adding texture and warmth underfoot and lending the whole space a timeless, considered quality. The layout was designed to accommodate two distinct seating areas — one closer to the kitchen-diner for everyday use, and one at the far end that catches the afternoon sun — while maintaining beautiful views from both the house and the new garden room.

The plants are still settling in and finding their feet, but the bones of the design are already clear — and the garden is already a very different place to the courtyard that came before.