house-garden connections

©2005 mark laurence

design principles note no. 1060

subject:

 Connections between house & garden

problem:

Abrupt transitions between inside and out lessen the effectiveness and experience of both spaces

A grand old house with absolutely no house/garden transition; no relief of perpendicular angles, no welcoming area to sit. The remaining garden was likewise open and blank.

Moving from one environment to another should be both an effortless experience and a special moment of transition, of change. a special space is needed to create that moment.

problem:

When you move from inside to out, there is a moment of adjustment, however subtle, to the change of environment. If the change is harsh, then there is little sense of transition and the moment becomes lost. if it is a difficult or inconvenient process, ie. the doors do not open on to the garden in the right places, then one will be discouraged from going outside often.

If you walk abruptly from a cool dark space into a bright hot one, or vice versa, there is a momentary discomfort and adjustment. Transitional spaces create a sense of depth to the building and garden interface and so ease that adjustment (eg. dappled light).

Like the garden in the above picture, this house had a long, blank wall with a long, blank lawn running alongside it where the garden should be. The clients put new french doors leading out from the kitchen, onto an area I designed as a primary still point. Rendered raised beds and a pergola framed a paved area, ideal for seating or eating out. The long blank garden was divided into different zones by this and suddenly it all feels very different from before.

solution:

As with entrance transitions, create an area that is not-quite-inside and not-quite-out. It should have its own unique character and be a space where, if appropriate to its use, you are happy to linger for a moment. The difference between this and an entrance transition is not perhaps so much in the structural considerations (although you certainly wouldn't build a porch here) but in the type of use. This area is wholly private, being used for ones own leisure.

The house/garden entrance should enclose you as you approach the exterior face of the building, as if it is extending out enveloping arms. A pergola is good, covered with trellis and climbers, giving dappled light. However, many people are wary of a pergola cutting out too much light to the interior of the house, a valid point, although one that can be resolved with appropriate design. Most of all, there must be an easy flow, or route of access between the most used parts of the house and the most used parts of the garden. This usually means between the kitchen and/or living room and the patio/outdoor room. Many houses have patio doors from the living room and only a side-passage door from the kitchen, yet this is often where most of the trafficking occurs. Consider this route very carefully.

A design creating rich house-garden connections. The house links to the garden from both the kitchen and conservatory and out under a veranda via a series of paved areas and steps, framed by a pergola. These powerful and definitive linking devices form an easy flow through connection, rich in experience.

summary: