PROJECT

Nottinghamshire countryside home

DESIGN

Jacqueline Setchfield, Olive Tree Garden Design

CONTRACTOR

Herrick Landscapes

CLAY PAVER

SeptimA Graphite

For this Nottinghamshire countryside home, the clients wanted a garden that bridges traditional planting with the contemporary architecture of their house. Designed for hands-on gardening, the layout invites movement and interaction throughout the plot. Taking cues from the architect's and clients' vision, particularly the larch and black timber cladding, landscape architect Jacqueline Setchfield embraced the site's rural character to retain its sense of place, while introducing a confident design language rooted in contemporary material thinking.

The garden had to function simultaneously as a family and entertaining space. A staggered series of 2 m-wide graphite clay pavers leads from the carport to the front door and into the main garden. Laid with fully mortared joints, the clay pavers complement the house's black timber cladding and establish a clear visual direction from the outset. Charred oak planters continue the dark material palette along the side elevation, while porcelain paving defines functional access paths and a sunny patio adjoining the sliding doors. From there, a lower composite deck enclosed by shrubs offers a more sheltered, private retreat.

Graphite clay pavers as design backbone

The graphite clay pavers were chosen for their ability to span both contemporary and traditional aesthetics, a quality that proved decisive in a project where those two worlds needed to coexist. The natural composition and ecological credentials of the clay also resonated with the clients' values. Their durability and inherent material quality suit an outdoor setting designed for intensive, hands-on use.

The clay pavers reappear consistently throughout the plot: inlaid in strips within the main lawn, incorporated into a gravel section with a herb garden, and running as a long path along the rear elevation that draws the eye and links all areas of the garden. This varied yet consistent application of a single material gives the scheme its cohesion and design backbone, elevating it beyond a conventional cottage garden.

Cohesion through material repetition

The graphite tone connects every element of the scheme, from the stepping stones at the entrance to the rear path that runs at the full length of the garden. Charred oak retaining walls and planters reinforce the dark palette, ensuring the clay pavers read not as an isolated feature but as the connective tissue of the entire design.

The finished scheme demonstrates how a carefully chosen clay paver, applied with intent and consistency, can define the spatial experience of an entire garden, uniting modern detailing with a timeless rural character.