A Garden Designed for Connected Living | A Family Garden Design in Harpenden
At Craig McGibbon Ltd – Gardens with Passion – we design gardens for life.
This garden redesign for a young family in Harpenden began with a clear client goal: to make the garden feel more connected to the home, more usable for a growing child, and with a sunny space for dining and entertaining.
The existing patio was small and sinking, framed by high brick retaining walls that made the garden feel cut off. During our consultation, we envisioned a complete transformation — one that balanced creativity with structural practicality.
The Vision
Spacious, entertaining terraces for outdoor living and fun
Sweeping and inviting transition between house and garden
Aquascape cascading bowl water feature for a sense of calm
Low-maintenance planting that embraced both shade and sun
Garden views from the family space and two Adirondack chairs
Timeless, elegant natural materials that complement the garden
Our Approach: On the initial consultation, Craig envisioned a sweeping terrace from the patio doors, with a beautiful acer and soft planting that can be viewed from the family kitchen. Gentle curved steps lead down to a curved terrace in the sun, with an Aquascape cascading bowl water feature beside. This vision was starting point of the design.
Initial Consultation, Design & Landscaped Garden
Craig talking through the initial consultation, a walkthrough the garden design and the finished landscaped garden
Video of the Final Garden
This Harpenden family asked us to design a garden that felt more connected to their home and offered flexible spaces for dining, entertaining, and play. This is what we created.
Our Design Approach
A sweeping curved terrace of Raj Green Natural Stone to flow directly from the home’s patio doors, softened with fragrant planting and anchored by a beautiful acer tree, clearly visible from the kitchen.
The upper terrace invites quiet reflection, with Adirondack chairs overlooking the garden and water feature. A burnt black BBQ area with a mini bar and worksurface keeps things practical and stain-resistant. Across the terrace, vertical timber posts serve as subtle safety features with style.
A set of gentle curved steps, flanked by Grey Sawn Sandstone clad retaining walls, lead down past a water feature — a cascading Aquascape bowl framed with ferns, hydrangea and fatsia — to the lower terrace in the sun.
The lower terrace, edged with silver granite setts, offers space for a circular dining table and a corner lounge sofa framed by a green screen of star jasmine and fairy lights — perfect for evening meals or slow Sunday mornings.
We repurposed existing walls, modifying and lowering them to reduce cost while improving visual flow. The full design was delivered up front, with some garden elements to be phased in future stages.
A Garden creating a Serene Oasis
The design complements the young busy family’s lifestyle in every way — the garden is inviting you outdoors to relax, entertain and have fun. Offering a calming backdrop for mindful mornings and slow afternoons.
Materials and Features
Natural Raj Green Sandstone Terraces
Grey Sawn Sandstone Clad Retaining Walls
Wide Curving Terraces and Steps
Shade and Sun Borders Soften the Hard Landscaping
Aquascape Cascading Bowl Water Feature for Movement and Sound
Outdoor Kitchen with BBQ, Bar and Worktop Surfaces burn’t black to hide unsightly food and drink stains.
Chunky vertical timber creates a visual feature and a practical safety barrier
A Garden in Its Natural Rhythm
A real measure of great design is how it performs over time. That’s why we love to revisit our projects, to see how the planting has matured, the structures have settled, and the space is truly lived in.
This busy professional family are loving their garden -
Her testimonial: “I am absolutely delighted with my garden - it has completed transformed our lives. I asked Craig to help the house and garden feel connected, with a design that was child friendly with space for dining and he has done that and so much more - he has created something I never could have imagined that is both beautiful and flexible - from eating and entertaining to relaxing or exploring and playing with my son. Working with Craig and his team has been a pleasure - they are professional, punctual, really responsive and work to a very high standard.”
Frances - Harpenden
Thinking About a Garden Designed Around You?
We design gardens for life’ — if you’re ready for a serene family oasis that supports calm, fun, and beauty.
Let’s talk about what’s possible.