For an object lesson on how to create a charming first garden on a tight budget, we take you to a small backyard in London’s Crofton Park neighborhood. There food writer Mina Holland and musician Freddie Denham-Webb have created an oasis in the city—complete with an American-style Big Green Egg grill.
What prompted the American barbecue invasion? “We’re on a street of what I figure were quite experimental Victorian houses. Ours is a purpose-built maisonette, and opposite there are cleverly laid-out cottages. It feels like it was a bit of a testing ground for small-space living,” Holland recently told The Modern House.
Here’s everything you need to steal the look:
Above: From inside, a view of the dining table and benches is framed by the open doorway. The small garden also has a storage shed at the edge of the property. Photograph courtesy of The Modern House.
Above: The industrial-style light fixture above the door came from a friend: “He and his partner moved to a very stylish Sixties development in Hatfield, and this didn’t quite go with their refit. We love it, though,” says Holland. Photograph courtesy of The Modern House.
Exterior & Facade
Above: The brick facade and trim is painted with Pure Brilliant White by Dulux to reflect light and make the space look clean and bright.
Above: The back door and transom window are painted in Farrow & Ball’s Green Blue.
Farrow & Ball’s exterior paints are available in both eggshell and gloss finishes.
Lighting
Above: With a galvanized finish, The Original Warehouse Gooseneck Light can be customized with five sizes of shades, a straight or gooseneck arm (varying lengths are available ) and a wire cage. Prices start at $189 at Barn Light Electric.
Garden Shed
Above: A similar 10-by-8-foot peaked from Wooden Traditional Garden Summerhouse with shiplap siding has double doors with four window panels; £829.99 from Amazon UK.
Paint the shed to match the house, as Mina Holland did, to give the garden a cohesive look.
Fence
Above: Painted black, horizontal fence privacy panels are tall enough to provide a neutral backdrop to the garden. For similar, a five-pack of Grange Contemporary Slatted Fence Panels is £470 from DIY.
Above: The Big Green Egg charcoal grill is available in seven sizes, including a Mini Max intended for countertop use. Included is a “precision temperature gauge that provides accuracy up to 750 degrees Fahrenheit/400 degrees Centigrade,” notes retailer Green Acres; $639.
Above: A Bier Garden Set includes an 86.6-inch-long table and two benches. It is available in nine finishes including natural with black legs as shown; $439 from Beer Garden Furniture.
The table seats sits comfortably. Says Holland: “We have a lot of friends over, but we tend not to invite more than four at a time, so there’s six of us. That might change in summer because the garden feels like we have an extra room.”
Above: Made in the UK, Haws’ galvanized Slimcan Metal Outdoor Watering Can has “a removable oval brass spray nozzle to adjust your pour to whatever garden or terrain you’ve got,” notes retailer Goop; $120.
Above: From New England Pottery, a 12.25-inch-high Terracotta Planter is a classic strawberry planter, with openings that make it easy to pick fruit. It is $29.98 from Lowe’s. For UK readers, a terra cotta Strawberry Pot with an extra-wide neck, made in Turkey, is £54.99 from Crocus.
Plants
In addition to a kitchen garden with herbs and strawberries, the courtyard has ornamental flowering plants, including lupines, daisies, and jasmine vines. In pots are olive tree topiaries (an olive tree is a good container plant, as it can withtand dry or windy conditions).
Above: A similar 14-inch-high live Olive Tree (in a woven grass pot, not shown) is $48 from Terrain.
Above: Wild Perennial Lupine Seeds (available in quantities of from 1,000 to 5,000 seeds for from $12.75 to $45.75 depending on quantity from Maine Simple via Etsy) will bloom in spring with colorful flower spikes in shades of blue and purple, with some pink and white.
To create a meadow effect, scatter wildflower seeds in tilled earth.
Are you furnishing an outdoor space? See our Steal This Look archives for ways to make it comfortable and stylish. Read more:
