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This garden is the result of a tight collaboration with our client which, over the years, led us to open views and frame others and redefine paths using reclaimed stone flags. The planting scheme we introduced had to be simple, low-maintenance and pick up on the deep-red colour used on the house, typical of the Basque country. Old roses, wisteria and a mix off bee-loving perennials now live in harmony with the decade-old box and hydrangeas macrophylla.
JARDIN BASQUE
Ancre Jardin Basque
LIMEGREEN
In this garden, we chose warm and textured materials to suit the scale and striking architecture of the house. Imposing rugged blocks of York stone make elegant floating steps to the terraces, geometric yew volumes contrast with masses of flopping hydrangeas while mature trees, chosen for their spring blossoms and vivid autumn colours, lead the eye to the back of the garden. There, a pair of hand-painted walls create a focal point around a polished concrete terrace.
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Ancre Limegreen
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BLUE INSIDE
The brief for this garden was to establish a strong visual link between the indoors and outdoors while creating a relaxed garden space for the whole family to enjoy. Working closely with the clients' team of architects, we designed a simple and playful rill which captures the reflections of the surrounding trees. Deep, curved planting beds with masses of loose and colourful planting help soften the clean lines of the textured concrete slabs.
Ancre Blue Inside
CITY CHIC
Keeping a large lawn was central to this design, as our clients wanted an outdoor space where their children could run freely. They were also yearning for a ‘real’ garden with a rich mix of colours, scents and textures. We created distinct areas, all linked by large slabs of distinctive sawn York stone, including a garden studio, a quiet corner around a fire pit to escape to and a sedum-lined walk laid at the foot of mop-topped robinias trees.
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Ancre City Chic
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THE GROVE
This garden epitomises ‘city chic’ without taking itself too seriously. Small but impeccably formed, it ties in with the stylish and ecclectic interiors of its owners. Bespoke natural stone setts were used to create the patio area and a row of liquidambar trees provide dappled shade in summer and striking colours in the autumn. A topiary box turkey adds an element of fun and irreverence to an otherwise classic and timeless design.
Ancre The Grove
GEORGIA
Set in the heart of the city, this small courtyard garden brings a sense of nature to the family who live in this Grade-II listed Georgian house. The space needed to feel relaxed, welcoming and unfussy. We selected an ecclectic mix of Corten planters and textured artisanal pots which now house a few large specimen trees chosen for their spring blossoms and autumn colours as well as a small vegetable garden for the children to maintain.
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Ancre Georgia
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CHELSEA BRIDGE
Our focus for this garden was to create a stylish and low maintenance outdoor space, with varied textures in the hard landscaping such as grey-tone composite decking and a bespoke modernist lily pond. The dining area is set opposite a polished concrete outdoor fireplace and is partially screened from the rest of the garden by a tall, tightly-clipped yew hedge. A feeling of serenity is brought by a large magnolia which creates dappled shade in the summer months.
Ancre Chelsea
COCOON
Our intention was to create a secluded garden, a green ‘cocoon’ in which the owners could feel at one with nature and escape city life. We excavated a curved area at the centre of the space to highten the sense of privacy and specified blocks of cream limestone to create distinctive chunky steps. Bamboos have been used to partially screen the different areas of the garden as well as a limited planting palette of ferns, hellebores, foxgloves and peonies.
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Ancre Cocoon
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LIGHT & SHADOW
In this shaded urban courtyard, a sense of calm was created by rendering the walls a deep grey and opting for an all-green lush planting scheme dominated by shade-loving ferns, bamboos, silver birches, grasses and hellebores.
A contemporary wall-feature made of limestone panels provides texture as well as and discreet ambient lighting at night.
Ancre Light and Shadow
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