Create Modern Spaces: Contemporary Garden Ideas

Step into a pocket of urban paradise, with this contemporary North London garden. Monochrome material choices - in this case an asymmetric chequerboard of Slab Coke and Slab Khaki porcelain - take you into a cosy, modern two-tone space.

The pale cream tones found in the Slab Khaki porcelain complement the white rendered walls, while the smoky, sooty colour of Slab Coke porcelain pairs beautifully with the darker colours used for the garden's boundary fencing and black basalt planks at the end of the garden.

On the top terrace, as you step into the garden from the back of the house, Smoked Oak Millboard composite decking has been laid, which adds a softening grey tone and texture to the garden, and incorporates an in-built jacuzzi for the ultimate relaxation spot.

Natural form is added to this garden by way of a pared-back planting palette, including tree ferns, olive trees, and a herb garden by the barbecuing area to the rear of the space, which is shielded by bamboo for added privacy. A water feature and dramatic lighting enhance the garden's finish, to create a timeless modern garden.

This South-East London garden from James Lee Landscape & Garden Design is a masterclass in showcasing the versatility of porcelain, to create a beautiful, modern outdoor space. Navigating a substantial change in level, this garden uses hard-landscaping materials to an almost Brutalist level, but clever soft landscaping allows the garden to become serene and picturesque.

If used too liberally, hard landscaping can become overbearing and dominate a garden, but despite this project using porcelain as paving, steps, coping and cladding, it retains a natural charm, as the garden moves from the sunken terrace up to a lawned area where a more relaxed, natural feel is incorporated into the overall design.

The pale grey tones of our Silver Grey porcelain give the garden a cool base colour, which is perforated by linear pockets of luscious green and purple planting, including alliums, nepeta, salvia caradonna, and Scleranthus biflorus, laid between stepping stones to beautiful effect.

This property underwent an extensive refurbishment with the help of an architectural practice, where the addition of double-storey glazing was added. This gives the homeowner a stunning viewpoint from which to enjoy this modern garden throughout the seasons, and highlights the importance of shape and form within the space, demonstrated by elegant concrete planters filled with purple thyme.

An award-winning, contemporary family garden overlooking the Suffolk countryside, featuring our wood-effect Cinder porcelain, and a host of take-away ideas, courtesy of Karen Chamberlain Garden Design.

This large, T-shaped garden had to be designed in a way to suit the whole family, without compromising on aesthetics. The serene swimming pool, framed by two oversized planters, is the garden's centrepiece, with clearly defined areas branching from it.

Cinder porcelain paving slabs, with their natural-look finish, help to bridge the gap both literally and figuratively between the more-designed areas and the more natural landscape at the far end of the garden. Modern, stylish garden furniture has been selected, which ties into the grey-brown tones within the porcelain and other hard-landscaping elements, such as the timber pergola built over the path—which allows climbing plants to flourish—and the Corten steel edging that borders the flower beds.

A planting palette which features muted colours includes: alliums, salvias, nepeta, lavender, and hydrangea. Areas for poolside relaxing, dining, and entertaining give a contemporary Mediterranean vibe, and there are cleverly disguised areas towards the back of the garden for trampolining and playing football. Can you spot the colourful, avant-garde giraffe sculpture in this garden?