Scandinavian Style in a Pretty Cottage Garden
This garden at the RHS 2016 Chelsea Flower Show in London blends contemporary decor with traditional plantings
When you hear the phrase “smart garden,” you might think of high-tech gadgets amid contemporary design and sleek landscaping. But this beautiful show garden at the Royal Horticultural Society’s 2016 Chelsea Flower Show turned that perception on its head. The Hay Joung Hwang-designed garden combined high-tech features — such as smart device-controlled lighting and entertainment — with glorious cottage-style plantings that showed a softer side of contemporary garden design. Take the tour below.
Designer Hwang came up with this beautiful Scandinavian-style outdoor room set in a pretty cottage-style garden, with an outdoor dining area under a leafy canopy.
Inspired by the concept of intelligent homes, Hwang designed the LG Electronics-sponsored garden to demonstrate that “technology can be incorporated harmoniously into the garden as well as the house.”
Inspired by the concept of intelligent homes, Hwang designed the LG Electronics-sponsored garden to demonstrate that “technology can be incorporated harmoniously into the garden as well as the house.”
A sheltered outdoor room enclosed on two sides has the feel of an indoor space — albeit one with a spectacular garden view — thanks to decorative details, such as vases and pictures.
It’s no surprise to learn that Hwang originally trained as an interior designer. Her design awareness is evident throughout the garden, which functions very much as an extension of an indoor living space.
In the center of the garden, a contemporary-style pergola gently draped with branches of wisteria reaches over an outdoor dining table, providing dappled shade and light cover.
In the center of the garden, a contemporary-style pergola gently draped with branches of wisteria reaches over an outdoor dining table, providing dappled shade and light cover.
Hwang wanted the garden to demonstrate the contrasts between formal and informal, as well as the balance between naturalism and the artificial, which she sees as “a metaphor for modern life.”
The planting scheme is restricted to white, pale blue and pale pink throughout for a unified and soft feel.
The dining and seating area both have a pared-back Scandinavian aesthetic, with stripped wood furniture and a restrained color palette, while the planting is classic English country garden.
Strips of pale stone flooring interspersed with crisp gray gravel create a stepping-stone effect throughout the garden.
Naturalistic cottage-style plantings run throughout the garden, helping to soften the more structural elements of hard landscaping.
Tall foxgloves surround the outdoor room, providing a soft screen.
Bleached wood furniture and cozy sheepskin throws offer a restful and snug seating area.
Garden chairs are in natural pale wood and are painted light gray and charcoal. They pick up the Scandinavian style of the “interior” space while complementing the soft, pastel-colored plantings.
J110 chairs: Hay
J110 chairs: Hay
The herbaceous plants were chosen to add a soft quality,while multi-stemmed trees were added to provide privacy and filter the views from the house.
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A ‘Medieval Contemporary’ Garden Takes the Silver at Chelsea
A Sunken Urban Garden With a Contemporary Seating Area
Browse inspiring gardens in the U.S. and around the world
Event: RHS 2016 Chelsea Flower Show
Garden designer: Hay Joung Hwang
Built by: Randle Siddeley
Prize: Silver gilt medal