At an ickle 50 sqm wrap-around extent, surrounding a wharf penthouse apartment atop a picturesque river setting, this roof garden is perfectly secluded & favourably sheltered, sited above River Thames by Tower Bridge. Neglected for too long, we undertook a meticulous design journey to remake the terrace, guided by a gracious clientess. 5 distinctive zones foster continuous utilisation, delineated by planting , surface & lighting diversities.
Having a powder-coating unit available for our tailor-made planters, we tinted the frames of glass & existing features. With purple & heliotrope, the buoyant turquoise troughs contrast the screens & planters, while details such as exit door & rainpipes were coloured turquoise too for consistent character.
An evergreen Jasmine vertical wall ascends a Cedar frame, underplanted by luscious Ferns & Hosta perennials. A telescopic ladder leads to an upper den with vistas of Tower Bridge, engulfed by English Lavenders, where pouffes match the roof garden in turquoise & purple.
An original sculpture by artist Julian Wild rests in a booth above the sofas. The globose piece is made from recycled copper, creating striking silhouettes on the partition behind. Copper pots mirror this form in shape, texture & colour. Personal curios feature in & around the roof terrace, enlivening the space expressively.
3 trees & shrubs provide focal points, provided by Silver Birch, Nandina & an Olive tree. While the Nandina & Olive are evergreen, the Birch trunks add winter distinctness with a pearly perspective. To contrast our own planters & relate to the artwork, we planted ridged, circular copper pots for the Nandina & Birch adding differing shapes, colours & textures.
Reusing thin troughs resting on the parapet leading to the seating zone, we power-coated these in turquoise to match the scheme, planted with herbs & floated on light strips. Hyssop, Sage, Rosemary, Oregano, Chives, Tarragon & Thyme contribute to our client’s adjacent kitchen piquancy - she’s a good gourmet, granted. Lavender ‘Munstead’ hedges on the higher den entice pollinators, provide perfume & used for drying.
The deck features a step from the entrance threshold, ergonomically angular, detailed in stone & wood, floating atop a light strip. The deck linearity leads toward the sculpture, switching into buff sandstone at an angle past the L point. Recessed turquoise troughs float LED strip lights, planted with Verbena which frames the Shard, Daylilies & Bergenia. An Olive tree is growing in a tapered tree planter inside a bay area, having a circular top aperture, purple colour & LED light float.
Designed for a gregarious, artistic yet very busy city client (a damsel executive), the roof garden optimises her space, adds warmth & restorative foliage, art, elegance, seating & an innovative lighting system. This indoor-outdoor bond continues innerly, where furniture matches the roof garden’s colour palette, with eye-level panoramas through the kitchen window & living room elevation. This roof garden design is a highly enriching, resourceful & luxurious paradise for our clientess to revel in – whether viewed indoors or experienced alfresco.
Photos by Lucy Fitter & Amir Schlezinger.
