Houzz Tours
5 of the Best Before and After Garden Transformations
Be inspired by the dramatic makeovers these gardens have had, and get ideas on how to boost your own outside space
Are you tempted to redesign your garden? If you’re looking for ideas, either for this year or for a project in the spring, browse these before and after photos of five recent transformations by Houzz designers and be inspired by what you can achieve in even a modest plot.
More in this series: 5 of the Best Before and After Kitchen Transformations l 7 of the Best Before and After Bathroom Transformations l 5 of the Best Before and After Kitchen Transformations l 6 of the Best Before and After Open-plan Transformations
More in this series: 5 of the Best Before and After Kitchen Transformations l 7 of the Best Before and After Bathroom Transformations l 5 of the Best Before and After Kitchen Transformations l 6 of the Best Before and After Open-plan Transformations
The brief for reconfiguring the small garden was threefold. It needed to be a family-friendly outdoor living space, make an impression as an entrance, and provide a parking spot that felt like part of the garden when the car wasn’t there, as well as space for three wheelie bins.
Georgia pulled it off beautifully, creating an inviting outdoor living room that ticks all the owners’ boxes.
See the complete transformation, including how Georgia managed to work in that parking spot.
Georgia pulled it off beautifully, creating an inviting outdoor living room that ticks all the owners’ boxes.
See the complete transformation, including how Georgia managed to work in that parking spot.
The outdoor kitchen transformation
Jenny Bloom of Jenny Bloom Garden Design had her work cut out for her when she took on the transformation of this 54 sq m London garden.
The unloved, bare yard spread across three different levels and was a mixture of drab paving slabs and concrete. “There was nothing to redeem it,” Jenny says.
The owners wanted a contemporary, low-maintenance entertaining space with an outdoor kitchen.
Need help with your garden makeover? Read reviews of local landscape architects and garden designers.
Jenny Bloom of Jenny Bloom Garden Design had her work cut out for her when she took on the transformation of this 54 sq m London garden.
The unloved, bare yard spread across three different levels and was a mixture of drab paving slabs and concrete. “There was nothing to redeem it,” Jenny says.
The owners wanted a contemporary, low-maintenance entertaining space with an outdoor kitchen.
Need help with your garden makeover? Read reviews of local landscape architects and garden designers.
Now, double doors lead onto a hardwood deck, which will silver over time, with views to the lawn, cooking area and dining table. There’s also year-round foliage, thanks to plants including Geranium Rozanne, which flowers from June to November.
See the rest of this garden, including views from the other end of the garden back to the house.
See the rest of this garden, including views from the other end of the garden back to the house.
The sociable space transformation
As is often the case, this Hampshire patch was the last thing the homeowners got to after renovating their Victorian townhouse.
“It was a dumping ground during the works – there was broken paving, no lawn and overgrown plants. We took everything out and started again,” Neil Jones of Neil Jones Design says.
As is often the case, this Hampshire patch was the last thing the homeowners got to after renovating their Victorian townhouse.
“It was a dumping ground during the works – there was broken paving, no lawn and overgrown plants. We took everything out and started again,” Neil Jones of Neil Jones Design says.
The dilapidated patch has now been transformed into this welcoming outside space with a decked terrace and a patio containing a firepit.
As well as space for entertaining, the owners requested more privacy, with tall screening at the back of the garden. “I designed this slatted fence and painted it black,” Neil says. “The horizontal lines help to make the garden feel wider and the recessive black colour visually elongates the space.”
The couple were keen on a colour scheme of pink, purple and white for the flowers. Neil planted scented varieties, such as jasmine and lavender, and added euphorbia for a spike of lime green.
See how Neil did it and check out more photos.
As well as space for entertaining, the owners requested more privacy, with tall screening at the back of the garden. “I designed this slatted fence and painted it black,” Neil says. “The horizontal lines help to make the garden feel wider and the recessive black colour visually elongates the space.”
The couple were keen on a colour scheme of pink, purple and white for the flowers. Neil planted scented varieties, such as jasmine and lavender, and added euphorbia for a spike of lime green.
See how Neil did it and check out more photos.
The tropical transformation
“The garden was a bit of a bombsite,” Fiona Green of Green Tree Garden Design says of this plot in Hertfordshire. The owner had made a start on the garden, but needed help to create the exotic, jungly haven he longed for.
“The garden was a bit of a bombsite,” Fiona Green of Green Tree Garden Design says of this plot in Hertfordshire. The owner had made a start on the garden, but needed help to create the exotic, jungly haven he longed for.
Fiona cleverly turned the narrow, overlooked plot into this secluded, leafy retreat. “[The owner] was very clear that he wanted an overall ‘green’ planting style, with plenty of focus on contrasting leaf textures rather than flowers,” she says.
Planting includes a Dicksonia antarctica – an evergreen tree fern, seen here in the pot – as well as the big-leaved Fatsia japonica and the perennial grass Panicum virgatum. Between the planting, a reclaimed brick path leads to a tranquil little seating area at the end.
Tour the whole of this leafy retreat.
Planting includes a Dicksonia antarctica – an evergreen tree fern, seen here in the pot – as well as the big-leaved Fatsia japonica and the perennial grass Panicum virgatum. Between the planting, a reclaimed brick path leads to a tranquil little seating area at the end.
Tour the whole of this leafy retreat.
The tranquil haven transformation
This garden, at the rear of an Edwardian house in south London, was very overgrown, as this view, looking from the house, shows.
Designer Tom Howard of Tom Howard Garden Design and Landscaping was tasked with transforming the messy plot into an easy-to-maintain space where the owner could both entertain and relax.
However, the owner asked that he didn’t disturb the established tree seen in this shot, or one on the other side, the top of which is just visible on the left.
This garden, at the rear of an Edwardian house in south London, was very overgrown, as this view, looking from the house, shows.
Designer Tom Howard of Tom Howard Garden Design and Landscaping was tasked with transforming the messy plot into an easy-to-maintain space where the owner could both entertain and relax.
However, the owner asked that he didn’t disturb the established tree seen in this shot, or one on the other side, the top of which is just visible on the left.
As you can see from the finished garden, Tom has packed an awful lot in. There’s an impressive outdoor kitchen, a living wall, a computerised irrigation system, a hidden shed, an LED-lit water feature and built-in bench seating, as well as lush planting across a number of beds. And the two trees are thriving in their new setting.
Take the full tour of this garden.
Tell us…
Which of these transformations do you like best? Share your opinions in the Comments section.
Take the full tour of this garden.
Tell us…
Which of these transformations do you like best? Share your opinions in the Comments section.
This garden, which stretches in a narrow rectangle across the front of an urban mews house, had been a space of two halves – one for sitting in, and one for the car. And plants weren’t exactly abundant. “It was like being at the side of a car park,” Georgia Lindsay of Georgia Lindsay Garden Design says.