Woodland Courtyard

A tranquil wildlife haven in the heart of Clonakilty

Step inside this garden

With potted crab apple trees feeding pollinators in Spring & birds in the Autumn, a minature wildlife pond, lush woodland inspired planting, soft mulch underfoot & a peaceful seating space to slow down and soak up the surrounding greenery.

The re-imagining process

Dig deeper & explore how this garden was transformed..

The Space

Previously an unloved area, used for storing bins & accessing a shed at the bottom of the site.

The Client Brief

We are opening a new Gallery and Shop in Clonakilty which has a small courtyard area to the back. The space is currently an unsightly bin & storage space with stained walls & grafitti. We need to tidy up the yard as windows from the shop at the back look out onto it and we’d like it to form an extension of the gallery with space to display outdoor art pieces that we’ll have for sale.

We want the space to be as natural as possible from design concept to the materials used and we’d love it to have some wildlife benefit. We want it to be a relaxing space that customers can take a coffee and cake & take a few minutes out to enjoy while surrounded by beautiful planting. Beyond the yard there’s another small building which will be used as a store so we need to maintain good access with a clear path through it.

Our budget is very small so we need you to think creatively about minimizing cost by re-using old items or materials, for instance we have three floor length mirrors and white paint available. Also the gallery space itself will be leased, we have permission to paint & attach small things to the walls but beyond this all features need to be easily movable if we ever re-locate.”

The Design Process

This client choose Design Package 2 – Ideas & Inspiration which includes:

 A basic site survey & design consultation

An annotated sketch design

Accompanying design sheet with list of suggested plants & materials

A 30minute post-Design Q&A session 

The Build 

For this project our team managed all aspects of the implementation of the design from securing materials, to the installation of features & planting.  This service is perfect for anyone short of time, wanting a professionally finished garden, delivered quickly. 

“By really working with the space & using local materials as well as up-cycled pieces, we were able to completely transform this courtyard from grot spot into a calming oasis in just two weeks in time for the gallery opening.

Kloe Wood – Lead Designer