Port Isaac Garden

Being just a short walk from Port Isaac’s picturesque harbour, the challenge with this project lay in both the access and the levels. As with many Cornish fishing villages, the cottages were tightly packed and terraced on a slope, so careful consideration had to be given as to how we would create the garden space as well as the removal of surplus material.

The brief from the client was to create a sociable outdoor living space that would become an extension of the main property. When we arrived on site we were faced with an old coal store-come-shed and a garden that needed to be excavated. In all, 42 tonnes of topsoil were removed. Once we had prepared the ground, we created a sunken courtyard seating area, raised terraces and a summerhouse with kitchen – the perfect combination for entertaining, with views over the rooftops to the craggy Cornish cliffs beyond.

The styling was paired-back contemporary coastal chic, utilising clean white brickwork for a sense of space along with greys to soften the palette. The addition of cedar cladding– a material that softens and weathers to lovely grey hues in time – helped to give the area an organic and complemented the local vernacular, while low-maintenance palm trees and grasses gave gentle movement and low maintenance. We created various zones and levels within the space, including a pergola-covered dining area reminiscent of a ship’s deck and the installation of a bespoke, built-in pizza oven. The addition of subtle lighting added after-dark ambience to the whole area.