Alison Driver
Having started out with an MSc in Environmental Management, working for District and County Councils dealing with contaminated land and the Planning Department, I have gone full circle post-children and fulfilled my long-held desire to become a garden designer.
My background sets me up with a working knowledge of the legislative processes and project management involved with large-scale redevelopments and their associated budgets. However, I also appreciate the position of a private home owner wanting to create a bespoke beautiful outside space.
I am based in Teddington with my own overflowing garden and am available to listen to your ideas and assist in the very best way I can.
Instagram – alisondrivergardens
This stunning 7.5 acre farm located near Totnes was purchased by a young family with the desire to make it their forever home alongside a place to generate an income from.
The natural division of the two fields assisted this brief. The top field became the more ‘public’ space, with the introduction of a hazel coppice, shepherd’s huts and a new barn workshop that could be made available to hire by artisans. The lower field was the family’s private space, with a timber deck running along the top ridge of this field. Into this sat a luxurious heated infinity pool which provided uninterrupted views across the neighbouring countryside. Through the woods and meadows you could access the beautiful natural pond and the cosy snug. Immediately surrounding the farmhouse are areas of hardstanding, locally-sourced stone walls, water, lawn and deep borders with the privacy and safety a young family requires.
This welcoming garden was in need of complete renovation in order to maximise the views towards the nearby woodland and to provide the clients with the outside space they so desired.
Inspired by modernism, the simplicity of concrete and the edginess that corten would provide, I designed a garden that they could enjoy at any time of the year. The proposed extension led directly onto an off-set terrace that was counterbalanced over water and surrounding planting. The lawn gave extra entertaining space and led up to a snug seating area around a fire pit where they could enjoy views towards the woods. The lawn also led down to a full length bocce court and a relaxed seating area where the clients could be fully secluded by deep planting.
A new garage was designed to go in a previously unused part of the garden and the old garage was replaced with a utility/storage area. The garden was made secure with a bespoke corten wall that pivoted to allow access through, as inspired by the entrance to the Jardi Botanico de Barcelona. The relocation of the garage allowed for the 3+ parking spaces as requested by the client and provided space for raised corten planters that gave year-round interest and privacy for the house interior.
