garden design studio loft with black lamp and desk full of paint swatches and garden flowers

Back in early 2018 we were invited to bid and tender for a project in Cornwall. This was for The Sparrows, designed by Jon Lees Architects. The property (once a bungalow) and land plot is situated in the much coveted Constantine Bay in Cornwall. The owner had it in her possession for over 20 years. Her story is an incredible one. We feel very honoured to be part of The Sparrows story now in it’s time of reinvention.
white daffodils an swatches of painted greys

Moodboards, Storyboards, our mindset…

a slate stone shaped like a heart on driftwood sea holly plant against farrow and ball downpipe bench

We were delighted that we got commissioned. This represented a shift for us and massively ticked the box of doing another major coastal project. So, we set about doing research and immersing ourselves in inspiration. We spent time in Padstow, and the “seven bays for seven days”. Walked the streets, the beaches and the harbours. Got the colour of the place.

Chalky tones remained in our mindset but some bolder colours stepped in… mustards, ochre, lichen, black undertones, like liquorice. We started to think of Strawberries and ice-cream, candy floss, fish & chips. All those essentials from a classic British holiday by the sea, and all that Padstow has to offer. Now, then combine them with the colours of the sea, and most notably Constantine Bay (which is very distinctive), that’s when we started to get somewhere.

metal wings laced with blue cornflowers hung on a white wall in a cornwall garden deign

a Cornwall house on a cliff looking over Constantine bay the house is white

an interred designed home with white couches and orange cushions

a girl golden retriever in Constantine Bay Cornwall on blue water

The colour edit

glass art sculpture inspired by Cornwall seascape

Constantine bay seascape in summer blue sea green seaweed and black rocks yellow sand

white and grey Cornwall house with green landscaping and seagull on roof

We had Phlox ‘Clouds of Perfume’ as one item that we believed should feature massively at The Sparrows. We went for very comprehensive multi flowering layered schemes with a core colour palette of white, blues, and of course greens from chartreuse through to deep emerald. Our overall mindset was that we had to create simple block planting to fill the plateau design that we had created. It can be hard to do simple. It became very complicated!

phlox clouds of perfume white in a nursery

Back at home in the Cotswolds we can only dream and imagine what it is like to live by the sea. We wanted to create a celebration of this to be embraced. Our client for The Sparrows lives in a townhouse in the week. She has generations of children and grand children that will all be sharing The Sparrows with her.

Elements coming into this project – mini beach huts that house surf boards, body boards and outdoor showers. A Pixie Meadow (now installed) by us. A complete kitchen / medicinal garden. A wildlife haven.

a pink Poppy petal on a black background

The integration of the house and garden was integral, firstly for the client brief and then for the success of The Sparrows as a whole. Inside and out. Outside and in.

an ornate chandelier fashioned on a garden with twigs and leaf in metal and jewel toned accents

The chandelier was chosen as a nod to the outdoors, and it is placed in the building so it can be seen lit from outside all year round.

impressive Padstow coastal house with Buxus balls

So this is us, getting on with the install from a very complex plan…

landscape men and women dressed in black planting a Padstow garden in front of a big house

with a few little breaks

three golden retrievers paddling in Constane Bay with blue sky and waters

a box of scampi and chips from Rick Steins restaurant

perennial plants being set out by landscapers in Cornwall ready for planting

landscapers planting set our pots of plants in Cornwall garden

a shovel and irrigation next to newly set out plants in mud tulip wood slatted fence and black brick wall with Buxus hedge

big oceanside house front on a grey day being planted in the front garden

A big part of our design was that we went with the ‘lean‘. Meaning that the whole site of Sparrows is a wind tunnel so we wanted to embrace that. Planting blocks are anchored by topiary elements, but infilled with block planting that will celebrate the lean.

bathroom window with bath and wallpaper looking out at view of buxom balls