Every time the people who lived here left their house, they were met with this vista, (below). Grey gravel, an imposing compost bin and an unsuitable tree all aligned with a breeze block wall, thus making a dreary start to any journey.

Where pirvacy is needed there is none and where the source of light is strongest stands a solid green lump of a tree. It is a wonder a yellow rose grew and flowered in this urban outdoor space.

There really was only one thing for it….. a total overhaul. As city garden space is at a premium we had to accommodate a compost bin somewhere .

We designed a smart city garden with a central gravel area surrounded by lovely evergreen plants including: bay laurel hedging, dwarf hebe, winter hardy ferns,escalonia red dream and clipped bay trees. Mixed through, as a striking splash of deepest red, is heuchera palace purple. This will provide frothy white flowers in early summer. Hellebores in damson and white add long lasting spring colour.

Replacing walls with true to vintage iron railings and introducing a beautiful standard photinia “red robin” focal point, the garden instantly felt more open and enlivened while still being very low maintenance.

We moved the compost bin to an accessible corner, making it more useable from the path. Surrounding it with scented laurel should keep summer odours at bay.

Using buff gravel as a central area and deep bark mulched planting to the sides, we have mazimised the space, made it feel more alive while remaining quite structured. 

Now complete with open rainlings, clipped bay trees and small evergreen shrubs, this pocket sized garden is a joy to walk through and a delight from both house and street view.

We were asked to create a garden for the front of a newly constructed residential building.

The garden had to provide access to the building, but also frame and complement the structure.

So this is what we did.  We created a lush lawn and planted along the pathway with hucheras and miniture hebes.

We created a triangular bed near the entrance composed of jade ferns, bronze phormiums, minature fuchias and china blue agapanthus.  The border is designed to be colourful year round, interesting and low mainteance.   It is soft and pretty and interesting to walk past.

We planted three mult-stem himalayan birches directly into the lawn at one end close to the building.  These beautiful trees won’t grow too tall but will contiue to split and fill the space with their beautiful branches and stems.  The small green leaves rustle gently in the summer and the bare branches look stunning in winter.

Along the the covered entrance walkway to the building, we installed a series of columnar chalky finished containers planted with pinus sylvetris.  The columnar shape of the planters compliments and reflects the repetition of the building columns and the dark green pines contrast nicely with the cream stone cladding of the building.

On the other side of the driveway, we planted three-colour phormiums which are visually striking.  These are mixed with large white agapanthus for stunning effect.

Immediately we were buzzing. We wanted to restore and to give it glamour. We would take this 1940′s hallway back in time and give it some oldschool Hollywood glamour.

We found an old fashioned telephone – still in working order and based our scheme around it. We imagined a starlet receiving a call about a great new part. At merton design we dream in colour. Sometimes, dreams come true!

Tackling a few obsticles including removing the solid stair side and removing the carpet, we opened up the already sizeable space.  Staining pine floorboards to a deep tortoise shell mahogony took hours of painstaking work. It is well worth the effort when teamed with a raspberry striped runner.

Walls painted a striking shade of duck egg blue makes teal and raspberry accents feel warm and stylish. A full sized, deeply pleated, swishing silk curtain is double lined for effect and edged with a directional cuff, reminiscent of theatres of old. The leading edge of this single curtain is edged with crystal beads and is held in place with a crystal holdback..

The old telephone is given pride of place atop this super glamorous bevilled chest. The front of which mirrors the runner beautifully.

A teal and raspberry stool strewn with silk cushions acts as a cosy seat from which to chat.

Feminine touches abound as seen here in the gorgeous capiz shell light shade and bevilled mirror. This mirror is placed opposite the last step of the stairs – what better way to check your look before you open the door. You never know who might be the other side!

This hallway was featured in House and Home magazine ….. to rave reviews …. obviously!

It should enhance and compliment your house and allow easy access to the hall door. If there is a consensus of styles in your area, than this should be reflected in yours.

We completed a project last year which will illustrate this point. 

There was not a lot going on in the front garden before the bricks and sand were dropped there! It had become a tangle of weeds and old woody hedging. 

Our design brief was to smarten the frontage and to allow for two pathways. Other than that, it was up to us.

We aimed to create a visual link along the front and keep the open aspect as privacy was not an issue. Pathways in straight lines allow uncluttered passage. Maintenance was kept to a minimum.

Using mainly evergreen plants we created a harmonious palette of glossy leaf and architectural shape. Three planting squares were cut into the gravel to add a formality under the windows.

On one side of the main access path we created more pocket planting into gravel. Here we used one statement Italian Cupressus tree as a centrepiece. It provides the height we require without taking too much light or width. This is complimented by dwarf escalonia planted in a diamond shape beneath.

Buff coloured granite slabs edged by sizeable bark filled planting beds, evergreen plants and golden gravel combine to soften what could be a hard space.

This garden is admired by more than the occupants of this house. While we were creating it, pedestrians constantly complimented us on the transformation.

A line of bare trees on a hilltop creates a stunning image.  Without their leaves we can see the structure of mature trees more clearly.

Deer grazing in the Phoenix park on frost sparkled grass.

Frost on leaves captured up close.

While low temperatures can be the enemy of some of the less hardier plants in the garden, others particularly native and deciduous plants have actually benefitted from the colder temperatures of recent winters. 

Rosemary covered in frost.  Despite being used to warmer and much drier climates than ours, most Rosemary survived the hard winters quite well.

In winter and partiuclarly over Christmas, light is key.  A simple nightlight in a coloured glass placed on each place setting with the lights turned down low will really set the scene for a cosy winter meal.

You dont have to keep all the Christmas decorations for the tree.  A few artfully scattered around the table will really had to that festive feel.

The transformation that a simple nightlight can bring about.

You can use whatever there is to hand.  Just be creative.  You can go all sparkle and glitter or green and earthy – for the latter effect, scatter some clemanties and lemons or whatever fruit you have.  Get some green foliage from the garden and place it under the fruit or along the the table.  But don’t leave to minimal – use all your glassware!

While less is more in table dressing for most occasions, for Christmas there can never be enough and there can never be enough red.  So use red nite light holders, candles.  The glow and reflection from the candles and nite lights will really make your table festive.

Enjoy!  Happy Christmas to all our clients and suppliers

By mixing some evergreen, winter flowering plants and shrubs you can ensure that you have colour and interest in your garden throughout the winter.

These beautiful skimmias with their dark glossy leaves stay in flower right through the winter and look good in beds, pots, planters or even window boxes. 

A couple of these wonderful skimmias will brighten up any windowsill and their red flower adds a festive feel.

Laurus Nobilis or Bay laurel also provides evergreen interest in beds, raised planters or pots.  These pyramid bays add structure and interest to this raised planter bed.  You can also use the bay leaves in casseroles and sauces.

Rosemary will stay evergreen during the winter but will go into a dormant phase.  However, you can still pull a few tips for cooking.  Lower temperatures mean that you won’t have that aromatic experience you get in summer.  Still they are such a useful and versatile plant in your winter garden scheme.

Our scheme sets out to change both those perceptions using a few tricks of the trade!

A lovely nobbily textured runner for the stairs will widen the staircase and make it feel more grand. We will add stair rods to finish out the luxe look later.

Super thick wool velvet carpet in steely silver grey adds Boutique Hotel luxury to a small landing space. It picks up the contrast stripe in the stair runner beautifully.

Pearl finished wallpaper in subtle shell tones with a swirling fern motif, (in precicely the same paint colour!),  adds movement, glamour and continuity along feature walls.

Why have a boring light on a wire when you can have a chandelier? This is a beauty. It’s not as big or blingy as it looks as it’s only 50cm (h) x 45 cm (w) and will hang in nicely in the long stairwell drop.

There are two of these Rodin style prints. Pensive yet subtle. Again shades of grey work  effortlessly to tie together the overall colour scheme scheme of mulberry, lilac and silver.

In case things become a bit too feminine and frilly this steel grey rug with aubergine detail  adds strength and interest the moment the hall door opens.

Why does, “Functional”, usually mean bland?

It is quite narrow with five doors, a corridor and a staircase leading off it, so it’s a busy thoroughfare too.

The radiator cover, wooden floor and this lovely hall table are all to remain. The rest is up for change.

A narrow staircase with an uninteresting carpet is also coming up. The landing will get a make over too.

A corridor leading to the ground floor bedroom is narrow and crowed.

The front door is also being replaced as a lot of heat escapes through this old fashioned full glass panel style.

Next post will show the work in progress and also some design ideas.

Here is a link to a photoshoot for House and Home Magazine in 2003 in which it featured.

http://mertondesign.ie/interiors/portfolio/?album=2&gallery=24&pid=190

I’m now just bored with the dark wood. 

 Time for a make over – a weekend project beckons! First a light sanding to provide a key coat.

Then evenly apply two light primer undercoats.

With the first coat finished the colour starts to develop. I used a WB50 paint mix from Colortrend which is tough as nails and can withstand a lot of wear and tear. 

The colour is a mid grey shade which I mixed myself.

Now finished , dressed with flowers in a fish bowl and  IKEA Nils chairs, it looks half the size and is bang up to date. 

The colour sits very comfortably with the exposed brick and stainless steel kitchen diner. I think it will be around for a while to come.