The White House

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The modern day consumer is spoilt for choices. Even a couple of decades ago anyone who would’ve needed to buy a new bed would probably get a wooden one from the furniture store. There would be hardly any choices as far as designs are concerned and there would hardly be an alternative to wooden beds. Now however the story is quite different. Not only are there different choices for furniture shops, there are variations in design as well. Even today the idea of having a double bed frame is still irksome for some. The idea of having one in a rather small room can set many people thinking. However there are some beautiful designs available that solve your space problem with considerable ease.

Moreover there are designs that not only solve space issues in your bedroom but also provide you with a chance to get some extra storage with newer platform style bed frames which provide a storage space in the lower sections. The double bed frames come in several designs. Most of them are now to save space when it comes to bedrooms and also stress on styling. Most styling is contemporary; however there are Victorian style double bed frames which are for people with a distinctly different taste for interior decoration. There are metal double bed frames for those who wish to have a fancier design in their bedrooms. There are also doubled bed frames that have a canopy style structure at one end. Newer designs keep coming in aplenty with furniture manufacturers looking to attract more customers.

The pricing is economical and kept at regions where most people can afford one. The more exquisite the design, the more exquisite the price is an obvious inference in today’s world. With double bed frames, it isn’t too different. So when are you getting a double bed frame?

Most people consider their kitchen as the heart of their home. Countless hours of family conversations, cooking, and even meals have been spent within the kitchen. A lot of family memories are also made in this room. This is the reason why several families take great pains when it comes to renovating and decorating their kitchens. If you are also planning to update your kitchen’s look or to replace your old kitchen furniture, you may want to think about adding kitchen buffet furniture if you still don’t have one.

When you think about your kitchen, you usually think about countertops, kitchen appliances, islands, cabinets, and so on. You usually forget that one furniture piece which you are able to use to display your fine china and other kitchen decors and to serve buffet meals. Kitchen buffets will add elegance and function to your kitchen. You will find several kinds of kitchen buffet furniture to choose from. You may get overwhelmed together with your options when you check out on-line or offline furniture stores. You have to be armed with the correct information about kitchen buffets to assist you select the right 1 for your kitchen requirements. Take a look at the following paragraphs to give you some much more information about kitchen buffets.

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Kitchen buffets are highly functional and decorative. You can store your fine china and other utensils and dinnerware that you occasionally use in these pieces. You can also keep kitchen decors such as figurines, framed photos of food, your family’s secret recipes and cookbook, and so on. This offers a space for displaying these decors. They’re out of your children’s reach and at the same time they’re displayed beautifully in your kitchen buffet.

Another purpose of this kitchen furniture piece is that it allows you to serve meals to your family or guests buffet style. You are able to just lay out your meal platters and trays on the buffet and have your guests or family get what they want. This is very beneficial particularly in the event you always hold parties and entertain guests at house. You do not need to hire waiters or act as 1 to serve food to your guests.

Although this furniture piece is commonly utilized in the kitchen, you are able to also place them in your living room or dining room. This allows you to serve food within the living room or dining room so that your guests don’t need to go to your kitchen, which is really a fantastic idea particularly if you usually make a mess after cooking or preparing food.

You will find different kinds of kitchen buffets based on the style, material, size, features, and functions. There are little kitchen buffets that do not have cabinets for displaying fine china and other kitchen decors. You will find also buffets with drawers underneath for that added storage space. You can also discover a bulky kitchen buffet that has everything that you require.

Kitchen buffet furniture is really a fantastic addition to any kitchen. Aside from being highly functional, it also allows you to create a sophisticated look inside your kitchen.

These dynamics may not only affect the perception of customers and future customers, but on the staff as well.  These dynamics are further complemented when the office sofa is situated in specific areas.

Just as location is important in real estate so is the location of where an office sofa will be situated.  Some of the typical locations for a sofa would be the CEO’s office, the lobby or in the staff lounge.

CEO’s Office

The CEO’s office is the hub where critical decisions are made that affect the current status of the company and future successes.  That is why an office sofa located within the CEO’s office should be one that represents authority, durability, classic stylishness and yet warmth. 

Such an example of a CEO’s couch would be an office sofa that is constructed of leather.  A leather couch, both practically and symbolically, represents durability, classic designs, warmth and the feel of authority.

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When existing or new customers enter into an office that is furnished with an office sofa made of leather, the perception will be one of meeting with a successful business person.  In addition, formal meetings held in the bosses’ office with staff may enhance the team’s synergy and yet maintain a professional decorum which is required to conduct a successful business. The Lobby

Another critical area of the company that may benefit from the location of an office sofa is the lobby.  The lobby is the focal point of any business in which customers, business associates, staff, shareholders, etc. receive their first impression of the business.

There are a number of styles of office sofas that can be placed in the lobby to reflect the attitude and thinking of the progressive business.  For example, if the company wishes to reflect their foreword and cutting edge philosophy, then the placing of a modern contemporary office sofa in the lobby may be indicated.  Or, if the company wishes to reflect their conservative and successful history, then perhaps the choice of a leather office sofa may contribute to that image effectively.
Staff Lounge

The success of any business is contingent on a dedicated, experienced, knowledgeable and hard-working staff.  Therefore, the business may wish to provide amenities to the staff.  These amenities may practically demonstrate the company’s appreciation and acknowledge the staff’s value.

One of these amenities could be the placing of an office sofa in the staff lounge.  This particular office sofa could provide a comfortable resting place for personnel to put their feet up and relax.

Suggestions for this type of sofa could be one that is not too soft or too firm.  Also, an office sofa that is easy on the eyes and is made of a fabric that is very durable and resists stains.

The basic sizes of sofas include the typical large, medium, and small. Small sofas are interesting in that they can serve as a large chair for a single person as well as being fit for a couple to cuddle in. It is also good to keep in mind that the arms will make a big difference in how many people can comfortably fit on a sofa.

Another thing to remember about the arms of a sofa is that they affect how big the furniture looks. Narrow arms make the entire sofa look smaller, while big overstuffed ones do the opposite. Therefore, it is possible to get a larger-than-normal sofa to look good in a smaller room by choosing a narrow-armed version. In a big room, a sofa with big arms will look more luxurious.

When it’s not possible to find space for a big enough standard-style sofa, consider a corner sofa. These usually sit along two walls, with a section which allows it to turn the corner rather than being broken up into two sofas. These typically offer a lot of seating space, and are good for a grand appearance in a large room. Smaller rooms, however, may be able to accommodate a shorter corner sofa.

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To get double duty out of your furniture, a sofa bed is a good option. Sofa beds serve as beds when someone wants to sleep, but can be folded back up into the sofa configuration for other times.

The matter of material is another consideration. Leather sofas are considered more luxurious, but offer fewer colour options. With most tanning techniques, a leather sofa will age with use, but resist the negative effects of wear and tear. To keep them at their best, they need to be kept away from heat sources, which can dry them out. Sunlight is also able to fade leather like just like it does fabric, so a leather sofa should be kept from direct sun. Leather has also become more affordable in recent years compared to what it used to cost. This is due to improvements in processing techniques.

When thinking of sofa placement, consider whether the room will be best served by two sofas or one sofa with some chairs. Two sofas are good when it is not likely that furniture will need to be moved to serve all of the room’s functions. A sofa and chairs, on the other hand, allows for easier moving of furniture if the position needs to be routinely changed.

Keeping these things in mind, you should be able to find the perfect sofa for your home.

Couples living in one house, an entire family with several kids or even those who are living alone are most likely to spend a lot of time in the living room. This is one of the most often-used rooms in the house where everyone hangs out; have lively conversations when friends come over; or become couch potatoes while channel surfing or watching one movie after another. This is precisely the reason why you need to take extra care in choosing the living room furniture to furnish your living space with.

Comfort should be your number one priority, followed by the style which should coordinate with the rest of your living room decor. But even before you can choose a pattern for the fabric of the couch, or the color of the leather sectional sofa that you are planning to buy, you should first create a plan on how to place your living room furniture. That is what we will find out more about here.

 

Key Things to Remember when Placing Living Room Furniture

 

Take a look at the following list to learn how to properly place your living room furniture:

Take proper measurements of the living room before buying any piece of furniture.

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Since the sofa is the focal point of your living room, this is the number one thing that you need to prioritize when buying furniture pieces. Before you can even decide on the color or pattern of the couch fabric, you need to take proper measurements first. Measure the living room from wall-to-wall. You might even want to take measurements of the door to make sure that you will not have a difficult time putting the sofa that you will buy through the door, and inside the living room.

 

The rule of thumb to follow is that the sofa should not be too big because it will make a room look crowded, nor should it be too small that it looks awkward against a big room.

 

Make a rough outline of where you plan to place the sofa and other living room furniture.

The next thing that you need to do is make a rough sketch of where you plan to place the sofa. If there are other living room furniture pieces that you plan to add, where will you place it?

 

Make sure that the pattern, color and style of the sofa is in keeping with the rest of your living room decor.

If you have beige walls, then you can pretty much buy any color and pattern for the sofa. Modern living rooms can be suitably furnished with contemporary sectional sofas which can have a fabric or leather finishing. You can even buy a bold-patterned sofa which clashes with the color of the walls, as long as the design screams your personality.

 

Add a few modern touches to complete the look that you are going for.

Finally, after placing the living room furniture that you have chosen, add a few accent pieces like lamps, cabinets, vases or small decors in strategic places to tie up the look of the room all together.

 

Sofa styles have changed vividly in a lot of ways over the past several decades. Nonetheless, it seems that current designs are taking inspiration from the past. It looks that the incredibly forward-looking for their time sofa and furniture designs that were so admired in the 60s and seventys have made their way back into homes around the world. For instance corner sofas.

These simple yet stylish pieces seem to fit both fashion and function when it comes to the modern home. Taking into account that new home sales have reduced hugely over the past three years. On the whole newer homes have newer layouts than we were accustomed to, growing up. No longer are homes obligated by the square box spaces that dominated most of architectural times gone by.

For newer shapes come newer sofas, well, older but newer sofas. Yes it is true, anything from way back is newborn again. Leather corner sofas come in a mixture of colors that will tone with any decor or interior. You can acquire leather corner sofas that will endure just about everything and manage to look really pleasing and will complement any home.

Searching for a sofa that will go in a tiny space? Corner sofas seem to cater to just about any need you could have for seats in your house or workplace. If you have got an abnormal shaped room like lots are nowadays, a corner sofa may possibly be just the ticket. You can have room for places for your friends or relatives in a comfortable, classy looking manner without taking up a full wall. The majority of sofas that will cater for several visitors use up lots of space.

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Corner sofas usually accommodate around 4 individuals at ease, depending on the size of the sofa. Lots of sofas currently can be wholly made to order, some with length. You have an array of fabrics to select from but when it comes down to classic looks and sturdiness, leather is your very best alternative. Many of us may well not be ready to spend the cash you assume it takes to get a nice looking leather corner sofa but the truth of the matter is that pricings are dropping on furniture, making it more reasonable than ever for you to own a stunning room set, no matter what your budget.

You can get hold of some exceedingly striking corner sofas that will hold five or  6 bodies with ease with plenty of room to spread out. You’ll be cozy on your corner sofa, watching TV, spending time with friends and relatives or taking a nap on a lazy weekend day. Nearly all corner sofas have broad armrests so you on no account have to be troubled about the comfort of your visitors.

Well padded sofas cater to the perfect seating for having guests over on days off to socialize or watch the match. We all realise that men can be a bit harsh on furniture.  Your leather corner sofas are safe for your kids, dogs or cats and family members who are predisposed to give a little extra wear and tear to your things.

Relaxing headrests are often attached to the backs of corner sofas to offer a little more luxury, especially to the taller members of your home. A good number of corner sofas provide a chaise at the end of the sofa for more luxury. When you’re searching for a sofa that you can lie down and read your favorite book on, you’ll adore a leather corner sofa. If you are looking for even more seating room, 2 leather corner sofas positioned end to end make for an irresistible looking living room in any house.

A pair of leather corner sofas together at the center as well make for an exceedingly up to date yet engaging looking space for your office. If you’ve got a lobby that you need to furnish, why not reflect on using furnishings that will abide extreme useage? You’ll be able to save money in the long run when you buy good quality furniture, skillfully crafted, now. You won’t need to swap your office foyer set when you select good quality, leather corner sofas to fulfil your requirements. If you alter your colour scheme later on, you can what’s more cheaply swap the cushions of your sofa to adapt to the difference.

Garden offices are specially designed offices set up in a person’s garden. It provides a very convenient work atmosphere for people who want to work from home. With your home just a stone’s throw away you get to experience the same comfort as working from home without the usual distractions. New mothers, a person suffering from disability, a person whose main office is very far away or even a person who just wants to work from home would be benefited from having a garden studio at home. A Garden office or lodge blends in beautifully with the garden and actually makes it more attractive. Even the materials used are eco-friendly. Not only can you use the garden office for work, but can also convert it into a guest room or an extra bedroom as and when required.

The dazzling range of garden offices offered by gardenlodges.co.uk is one of the most comprehensive available in the market. The flexible modular design of the structures allows you to customize the office according to your needs and also get it attuned to your beautifully manicured garden; thus solving adequately all your garden designing needs. The garden offices of gardenlodges.co.uk are built is such a way that you can stay and work in them throughout the year without any problems. A very negligible amount of heating is required and the same goes with air conditioning. Consumption of electricity is also minimal. Eco-friendliness is highlighted during the construction of the garden offices. The materials used and the technique, both put stress on that fact. Provisions to add a bathroom or even a kitchen allow you to use your garden office as a mini-home.

The garden offices available at gardenlodges.co.uk are constructed keeping with the standards of the British Building Regulations. Each garden office built by gardenlodges.co.uk is done following a careful study of the site conditions, and after taking into consideration other aspects like garden fencing. They are also carefully insulated and double-gazed. Environmental factors are also considered during construction and eco-friendly larch cladding is used to finish the construction. Cedar roofing shingles are used not only for protection but they also mellow as the years pass. Excellent soundproofing is provided that allows you to not worry about sound escaping out and extra care is taken to provide unrestricted passage of natural light.

In today’s world, garden offices have gained much popularity and are in great demand. People purchase garden rooms from different suppliers and manufactures. However, there are certain essential things that a person needs to consider before purchasing a garden office. A person, prior to purchasing garden offices, should ensure that he is getting the best deal. There are ten essential things that should be considered before buying a garden office or garden studio.

Before purchasing a garden office one must be sure of the purpose that it would serve. This will help the person to ascertain whether the requirements of the building can be met by the design. If the building is being purchased to be used as a garden office, sufficient amount of lighting should be provided. If the room is to be used as a gym, then there should be provision for sufficient ventilation. If it is for the purpose of garden a lodge, then there should be provision for proper heating.

The position of one’s garden office is also of utmost importance. One rarely requires planning permission most of the time as long as the garden office is situated at a distance of 5 metres from the person’s home and occupies less than 50% of the garden’s area. Permission is also not required if the garden office or garden studio is built for private use and is about 20 metres away from any public place.

A person while buying a garden office or garden studio should also be careful about the height of the building. However, the height of the modular garden offices should not exceed 4 metres. If the height of the garden office exceeds 4 metres a person will have to seek permission. Permission also has to be taken if the building consists of two or more floors. Permission also has to be taken if the size of the rooms exceeds 30 Sq metres.

Further, a person prior to buying a garden room should be sure of the type of room he requires. A person buying a room for a garden studio should ensure that the room is in accordance to his requirements. The design of the room should also be taken into account.

A person buying a room for the purpose of running a garden office should also check the materials used for both constructing and designing the office. There are numerous suppliers who can provide the best garden offices. For information regarding garden offices and garden studios visit gardenlodges.co.uk.

With many wooden options to pick from, together with aspen, cedar, red cedar, hickory, pine, wood and iron, and barn wooden, deciding on furnishings for the bed room is a breeze.

 

This style of furnishings blends perfectly in any setting. This model does not have to match with all active furniture or be employed exclusively in cabins set in the woods. Log furnishings now provides interest and temperament to any fashion of home. Whether it is applied as just an accent piece to distinction and highlight the existing furniture styles in the household, or to embellish the overall property with a piece of nature in a charming nonetheless simplistic way, log furniture can fulfill quite a few interior layout desires.

 

Log Beds Make A Statement

 

Log beds are an integral piece of generating a bed room with a rustic, heat feel. A vast selection of statement-making items are offered to accommodate every last person’s exceptional desires. For residences with limited room, opt for from the flexible day, futon, and bunk beds, although larger homes have a tendency to profit from the stately canopy bed, adding a contact of charming decadence to a space.

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Day, futon, and bunk beds are good for earning use of a smaller room even though also supplying the bed room a distinctive appearance and really feel. This style is not only economical, but it also gives a durable development for numerous many years of use. A ladder is typically hooked up for effortless access to the best bunk. Bunk beds are timeless, providing endless exciting for little ones and grandchildren.

 

Futons and log day beds existing solutions for rooms where by ground room is limited. These models present the overall flexibility of possessing an more area for friends to continue to be when needed, when also working as a secure couch when not in use. Day beds can also be utilized to furnish an enclosed patio or porch for an unexpected still inviting touch.

 

While daybeds, futons, and bunk beds are highly economical and charming, there are also log beds obtainable that make a statement. Used as the center position of a rustic-fashion bedroom, nothing at all matches the glimpse and feel of a 4-poster canopy bed, entire with stable wooden construction. This design achieves a classic position that also blends completely with the rest of the bedroom’s decor, no matter whether it is a rustic feel or a far more modern seem a person is trying to get to create. With a vast assortment and quite a few kinds to pick out from, these log beds will previous a life span.

 

Modernize With A Platform Bed

 

On the other spectrum from the rustic log beds mentioned over, wood platform beds make a present day and functional appeal to the bedroom. Created to accommodate just a mattress, this style is made up of wooden slats that make up its groundwork. With many several wood platform bed frames to pick out from, such as oak, cherry, maple, and ash to name a handful of, there is a particular design and complete for all of us. The platform fashion is very versatile and effortless to maintain, and it manages to tie into any bedroom’s theme.

 

Just as platform beds accomplish a modern-day look, the equipment should be held to a minimum as very well.

In strict terms, a formal garden is one that is entirely symmetrical, with one side mirrored by the other in a highly planned geometric pattern. Although there are many gardens of which this is true, formal gardens have now also come to signify a design that is laid out with a degree of geometry and regularity, and with stylised planting – not necessarily with mirror images.

From the simplicity of a lawn punctuated by a single island bed to the complexity of an intricate knot garden, many types of formal garden may be planned. However simple they may be, formal designs are typically ordered and elegant, well proportioned and balanced, and often strongly symmetrical or patterned.

Features typically include straight paths, closely mown lawns, borders defined by low hedges or edging plants, neatly clipped hedges or topiary, framed vistas and focal points, formal bedding in blocks of strong colour, and, on occasion, knot gardens and parterres.

Formal gardens require very regular and precise maintenance and are usually very labour-intensive. The more regular the design, the more any slight flaws will stand out.

The Principles of the Formal Garden Style

Many historic gardens were formal in design, and geometry has been used in garden styles from the very earliest times. Persian and Egyptian gardens relied on a formal structure of hard landscape, often within a courtyard, in which planting, pergolas and water features would be laid out in a symmetrical pattern. The great Moorish gardens were largely formal, as were the sumptuous gardens of Renaissance Italy.

These gardens echoed the architectural styles of the day, and were designed to supply a strong visual connection between garden and house. In fact, any garden should do just that, but a formal style typically relies more heavily on the adjoining building for its inspiration. If the architecture of the house is classical, then formality in the garden should reflect this with features such as stone or gravel paths, parterres, stone paving, balustrading, formal pools, clipped hedging and framed views.

Of course, a building does not need to be classical to have an adjoining formal garden, but it does need to be a building with some character of its own. In this way, a formal garden could suit a Georgian house or a Victorian villa, but it could also suit a modern architect-designed building, reflecting the regularity of the house and providing a harmonious link between the inside and outside. However, a formal garden is less likely to work well with a pre-war semi or a developer’s house on a modern estate. These tend not to have a balanced facade or strong layout, so an asymmetrical design would probably look, and certainly feel, more comfortable in these cases.

A feeling of formality may be achieved by creating classicism and symmetry in simple ways: by planting two or a number of symmetrically placed trees; by placing pots or urns on either side of a gateway; or perhaps by positioning clipped shrubs to flank a front door.

Such a strictly architectural style requires that plants be used to emphasise and embellish rather than dominate. Hedging, which can be close clipped, is the often one of the most important features of the formal garden. Many hedges are made from clipped and severely restricted trees, for example, limes can be ‘pleached’ to make a narrow hedge on clear trunks or ‘stilts’. Fruit trees, carefully pruned for the purpose, can also be used to form linear barriers, and window-like holes can be even be carved into these hedges to create clairvoyees.

Formal gardens rely heavily on surfaces for much of their impact, and the lawn is important for this reason. Colours are often muted in the formal garden, with green predominating, and the lawn acts as a subtle foil to other shades of green, such as the black-green of yew.

Strictly speaking, plants should not be allowed to spill over on to hedges and paths, or otherwise break up the strict architectural lines of the garden. However, some gardeners bend the rules and plant informally within the formal framework. This often involves planting drifts of flowers in the borders, and using a larger range of plant material than would be strictly appropriate for the traditional formal garden. This method of planting undoubtedly softens the impact of the formal lines, but that loss is often compensated by the splendour of the plants.

Classical Gardens

The formal gardens of ancient Rome and Greece were the inspiration for the impressive palatial and villa gardens of France and Italy in the 17th and 18th centuries. The essential qualities of these classical gardens are their strong symmetrical and architectural designs, which closely follow the scale and proportion of the building that they adjoin.

Italianate gardens are often set on elevated sites, with terraced gardens and flights of steps leading to long, shaded walks, cascades, fountains and canals. The cooling effects of water and avenues or canopies of trees are all part of the pleasures of these gardens, especially in the hot, Mediterranean climate.

The terraces might contain parterre designs with symmetrically positioned topiary pyramids or obelisks and box-lined scrolls of flowerbeds. Other typical features include balustrades, statuary, and well-proportioned vases or urns for ornamental plants.

Colour is generally limited to the dark green of the plants, the pale colours of the stone and gravel, and the white waters.

Many of these classical features may be integrated into contemporary garden designs to create a sense of grace, formality, and ordered tranquillity. Even in a relatively small area, the careful consideration to proportion, scale, balance, and harmony seen in classical gardens may be reproduced to create a simple, effective design.

Knot Gardens

Knot gardens were particularly popular in the 16th century, and took the form of abstract patterns and interlacing bands containing coloured plants, sands or gravels, marked out and framed by low hedges.

They were grown with a variety or aromatic plants and culinary herbs, such as Germander, marjoram, thyme, southernwood, lemon balm, hyssop, costmary, acanthus, mallow, chamomile, rosemary, Calendulas, Violas and Santolina. Most knot gardens had edges made from Box (Buxus sempervirens), whose foliage has a sweet smell when bruised.

The patterns often took their inspiration from the knots and strapwork patterns of English Elizabethan and Tudor plaster ceiling decorations and needlework. So that this intricate detail can be truly appreciated, knot gardens are often best viewed from above, and they should be designed so that can be seen easily from a house window or raised terrace.

Given the right setting and a well-drained, level site, knot gardens are not difficult to create and are straightforward to maintain. The patterns should be kept simple; this will ensure a pleasing design, and ensure that maintenance will not be too time-consuming.

Some suitable plants for the hedges include cotton lavender (Santolina chamaecyparissus) and dwarf box (Teucrium chamaedrys). If you decide to use plants rather than coloured sand or gravel to fill in the areas between the hedges, choose those that are in keeping with the character and scale of the design; as a rule, low-growing plants are suitable, although more unusual plantings, for example, succulents such as houseleeks (Sempervivum), may also he considered.

Do bear in mind that any weeds that appear on the gravel surfaces should be removed by hand, as weedkillers could damage the shallow-rooting hedges.

Parterres

A parterre is a formal garden construction on a level surface consisting of planting beds edged in stone or tightly clipped hedging and gravel paths, arranged to form a pleasing pattern. Often confused with knot gardens, parterres are larger in scale, and consist of ambitious and complicated designs, with flowering, scroll-like patterns or symbolic themes.

The pattern outlines are typically formed from low hedges of box, with the area in between the hedges filled with dense, colourful bedding plants, gravels of different hues or plants with muted pastel shades. There may also be evergreen shrubs trimmed into precise globes or pyramids, and other clipped, formal shapes in box or yew. A parterre should always be in scale with the size of the house or adjacent terrace.

Parterres became very popular in the Victorian and Edwardian periods, especially in public gardens and parks, where they were transformed into extravagant bedding schemes and complex floral displays.

Topiary

Topiary is the art of creating sculptures in the medium of clipped shrubs and sub-shrubs. The word derives from the Latin word for an ornamental landscape gardener: topiarius. For over 2,000 years, the art and craft of topiary has been practised in gardens; with time, patience, and suitable plants, “living sculptures” can be produced.

Topiary is often used in formal gardens to add shape, height, and sculptural interest; well-clipped pyramids, columns or spirals are used to emphasise the proportion and symmetry of a design. A single piece of topiary can provide a strong focal point, whilst several clipped trees or shrubs can supply the garden with a design cornerstone.

Simple, geometric shapes such as cones or spheres are usually the best forms of topiary for a formal or classical garden, although more whimsical styles such as animals, birds, or objects (such as chess pieces) can add a lively and witty touch. These more elaborate forms may be suitable in both formal and informal gardens, depending on the style, but would be out of place in a wild or naturalistic garden setting.

Slow-growing, dense evergreen plants are the best sources for topiary, such as cultivars of box (Buxus sempervirens), bay laurel (Laurus nobilis), yew (Taxus spp.), myrtle (Eugenia spp., Myrtus spp.), holly (Ilex spp.) and privet (Ligustrum spp.). Ivies (Hedera) may also be clipped and trained over frames to form various shapes.

In our Topiary section, we look at how you can create your own simple or complex topiary pieces, and offer you step-by-step guides to clipping and maintenance.

Sunken Gardens

Changes of level, even relatively small ones, can provide interesting features in a garden. A well-planned sunken garden can add a feeling of adventure and space, as well as bringing another dimension to the design.

Traditional sunken gardens were usually rectangular or square, enclosed by walls, and bordered by paved paths or raised grass so that they could be seen from above. The layout was typically simple and geometrical, with flowerbeds divided by a symmetrical framework of walkways and paths, perhaps with a central sculptural feature, such as a sundial or fountain.

As they are lower than the rest of the garden, sunken gardens are often secluded and sheltered, with a secret, sanctuary-like quality that is particularly restful and appealing. Formal bedding, herbs, and roses lend themselves particularly well for use in sunken gardens.