Grove House

GROVE HS.

Opening out from the kitchen plain concrete pavers, artificial grass and tired composite fencing made up this large roof terrace space set atop a double garage. The client wanted an open space to entertain family and friends akin to the modern roof terrace bars of the city they enjoyed. A space that was flexible, easy to maintain and inviting with modern customised detailing was drawn up using a refined pallet of materials. The challenge was the inability to fix anything to the waterproof lining of the roof / floor itself. A floating system was devised to suspend the decking and tiles allowing the varying heights of the entranceways from house and garden to be accommodated whilst letting services run unobstructed and rain water flow to the drain out of site beneath the finished surface. A minimal pergola structure was designed which utilised the existing stone pillars allowing for seasonal appendages, string lighting, shade sails, rain covers to be attached and detached with ease. Disappointed with the range of commercially available bracketry we set about designing our own bespoke set for the client that worked with the design of the pergola structure. The challenge was to design a set of brackets that felt light against the dense timber of the pergola as if the whole structure was somewhat floating whilst being structurally strong and beautifully detailed. Bringing greenery to the space through a corten planter next to the kitchen door for growing cooking and cocktail herbs with a second cantilevered corten planter that extended the planting to the tree line beyond whilst forming a developing green boundary; all connected by a hidden Bluetooth irrigation system. A larch built in bench is finished with cherry dowel details and floats on bespoke steel brackets providing a generous and robust seating area. An inserted patio of Italian porcelain tiles designates a more formal area for outdoor sofas and a coffee table, edged with a line of powder coated low planters filled with perfumed dwarf lavenders. New black slat fencing envelopes the remaining boundaries making it safe and sheltering the area from the wind whilst allowing climbers to spread across from the plant and ground to green the space over time.