More of us now work from home, and many do it in a garden room, a converted outbuilding or a study looking onto the garden. Study garden design is about creating the right view and the right walk to work: a garden that helps you concentrate and gives you somewhere to think.
The view from the desk
The view from a study window is looked at for hours every day. It should be calm rather than busy: a framed picture of foliage, a tree that moves in the wind, a small area of still water. We plan these views on the drawing board from the position of the desk itself.
- Use evergreen structure so the view is good in winter, when most work is done.
- Choose plants with movement, such as grasses and multi-stemmed birch, for gentle interest.
- Keep bright colour and busy areas out of the main sightline.
The walk to work
A garden office gives you a commute of twenty metres. Make it count. A stepping-stone path through planting, past a scented shrub by the door (sarcococca in winter, philadelphus in summer), helps separate home from work.
Siting a garden room
If you are planning a new garden office, where it goes changes the whole garden. We look at light, privacy, the view back to the house and the route for power and data. A well-placed garden room becomes a focal point; a badly placed one dominates the garden. We work with garden-room suppliers and architects to get it right.
Quiet and screening
Planting absorbs sound and hides neighbours. A layered boundary of trees, shrubs and climbers is more effective, and far more attractive, than a tall fence. For a study garden this matters as much as anything else.
