Case study — Traditional
Margate
- Location
- Margate, Kent
- Style
- Contemporary
- Completed
- 2025
- Scope
- Full Design - 130m2 - 30-70K
01
The project
The client wanted a genuinely contemporary garden, one that read as a continuation of the house. With the property’s exterior finished in black, the brief called for the garden to pick up that same tone, using black and grey materials.
Practically, the garden needed to work hard in a small, flat footprint: a lawn was ruled out, and they wanted planting to suit our dry drought summers.
A clear path was needed through to the outbuilding, and the client wanted distinct spots to unwind, somewhere to relax in a hammock, a sofa seating area for lounging, and shelter from a contemporary pergola
02
Materials
- Charcoal porcelain planks – London stone
- Corten steel screens – Stark & Greensmith
- Hammock – Clients own
- Dove grey limestone chippings – day aggregates
- Charcoal porcelain slabs – London Stone
This project was very important from the perspective that the clients window pretty much covered the width of the garden. The garden was on full view and it had to be perfect. The result was fantastic.
03
The approach
Rather than mixing materials, the design leaned into a tight black-and-grey palette so the garden would read as calm and cohesive. Plank paving and gravel replaced the lawn entirely, giving a contemporary, low-maintenance surface.
Corten steel was used sparingly but deliberately, as screening rather than structure; dividing the garden into zones and adding warmth and texture against the black and grey backdrop without competing with it.
A black louvered pergola anchors the entertaining area, its adjustable slats giving the client control over shade and shelter through the seasons, while a path threads through the garden to give clear, direct access to the outbuilding.
04
The result
The black theme carries straight through from the house’s exterior into the garden, so the two feel designed together rather than as separate spaces.
With no lawn to maintain and drought-tolerant planting throughout, the garden stays low-effort while still offering distinct places to sit, relax and entertain.
The louvered pergola and sofa area for company, the hammock for solitude, and the corten screens giving each zone a sense of privacy within a genuinely small plot.
05
Transfomation
06
About
Built by Hythe Garden Landscapes Ltd
Designed and planted by Ivy & Whyte Garden Design
Plants from Palmstead
Q&A
Questions about this project
By restricting the material palette the, black and grey plank paving and gravel with corten steel accents, so the space reads as considered and calm rather than cluttered, and by removing the lawn in favour of low-maintenance, clean-lined surfaces.
A lawn adds ongoing maintenance and doesn’t always suit a small, contemporary space. Replacing it with plank paving and gravel keeps the garden low-effort and reinforces the clean, architectural look the client wanted.
A louvered pergola with adjustable slats gives control over shade and shelter through the year, extending how often an outdoor entertaining space can be used compared with a fixed roof or no cover at all.
Project gallery
