Japanese Garden Features
This is one of our Japanese design ideas. Here, we have incorporated key features of traditional Japanese design to create a relaxed, harmonious feel that one can benefit from all year round. The careful arrangement of natural elements – stone, water, wood, and plants – creates the impression of a large but uncluttered landscape in a small space. A bit like a painting. But a painting one can walk through. The presence of water, already a popular garden feature in both the East and the West, is restful in itself but here it adds further delight by providing a mirror for the house and garden to be reflected in, and adding another dimension to the existing space. Whereas the arrangement of large and small pebbles creates a feeling of variety and dynamism, the smooth shapes and pale colouring also create a sense of balance and order. Everything is designed to be restful on the eye. No sharp edges. No dramatic bursts of colour or shape. The idea is for the garden to be an oasis in which the senses and emotions can be refreshed and restored. A haven of peace away from the hustle and bustle of the outside world.
Wooden Garden Bridge
To achieve all this, we use our own inspiration and experience to create gardens of interest and charm, rather than following a rigid set of rules. Take the bridge in this garden, for example. In traditional Japanese design, bridges are arch-shaped. In this Japanese design idea though, we have added a modern interpretation by installing a bridge where the curve is horizontal rather than vertical. And by constructing the bridge in pale, but elegantly cut sleepers, the structure is in harmony with the man-made ‘natural’ landscape around it – something that looks very much like part of the landscape rather than something that’s just been added to it.
Zen Garden
Overall, a natural-looking garden full of Japanese design influences with a modern twist. A garden that can be enjoyed by both wandering and wondering: by wandering through the garden to enjoy the pleasing arrangement of materials, shapes, and textures, or to sit and wonder at how everything fits together so beautifully… perhaps leading to deeper thoughts of the harmony underlying all things.
