Outbuildings
Contemporary Backyard Cottage in a Soft, Naturalistic Garden
An architect designs an open-plan outbuilding and summer entertaining space that blends into the surrounding landscape
“We didn’t want to create something that really stood out,” says Ellen Sacks-Jones, the architect who designed this beautiful outbuilding at the end of her clients’ property. It was important that when the owners — or their neighbors — would look out their windows, they would see “something that looks as if it belongs in the garden,” she says
The new structure — which contains a combined living room and bedroom, shower room and kitchenette and sits at the end of the owners’ long, thin backyard — has a green roof and is clad in larch wood boards It almost disappears into the landscape.
The new structure — which contains a combined living room and bedroom, shower room and kitchenette and sits at the end of the owners’ long, thin backyard — has a green roof and is clad in larch wood boards It almost disappears into the landscape.
The layout of the main house makes this new garden structure an especially valuable addition, the architect says. The home’s entrance is on the upper floor, and the kitchen is on the ground floor. “The connection between the kitchen and garden isn’t that great,” Sacks-Jones says. “This gave us the opportunity to create a space that was much better integrated with the garden and on the same level.”
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The owners hired Jack Wallington, a local landscape designer, to design the cottage-style garden at the same time as the outbuilding. “There was no particular brief in terms of the room’s aesthetic, but the clients did want it to feel like a building integrated into the garden,” Sacks-Jones says.
The landscape designer was key to the project. “The planting is so lovely — soft and natural. We worked closely with Jack to blend the two projects,” the architect says. “Often, the money runs out on projects for the landscaping and it gets done a year or so later. This project just goes to show how integral and important the landscaping is.”
The landscape designer was key to the project. “The planting is so lovely — soft and natural. We worked closely with Jack to blend the two projects,” the architect says. “Often, the money runs out on projects for the landscaping and it gets done a year or so later. This project just goes to show how integral and important the landscaping is.”
The backyard is very long and thin, as mentioned. This photo, taken from one of the home’s upstairs windows, shows the back half of the yard and the meandering paths that Wallington created to lead to the outbuilding.
The building is clad with larch boards fixed thin end out rather than flat, like fins. It gives a contemporary appearance to the exterior without making it stand out against the plantings. What looks like a three-part sliding door is, in fact, one door made from three panes of glass. The whole structure slides into a pocket door to disappear. “It’s wonderful, and it feels as if you’re in the garden when it’s fully open,” Sacks-Jones says.
From above, the green roof is clearly visible. “The building is not only visible from the owners’ house, but also from neighboring properties. We didn’t want anyone to look out and see a big, gray roof,” Sacks-Jones says. “It’s mainly succulents and has brown-green tones,” she says of the sedum roof. A skylight can be seen here too, which brings light into the back of the building.
The building is clad with larch boards fixed thin end out rather than flat, like fins. It gives a contemporary appearance to the exterior without making it stand out against the plantings. What looks like a three-part sliding door is, in fact, one door made from three panes of glass. The whole structure slides into a pocket door to disappear. “It’s wonderful, and it feels as if you’re in the garden when it’s fully open,” Sacks-Jones says.
From above, the green roof is clearly visible. “The building is not only visible from the owners’ house, but also from neighboring properties. We didn’t want anyone to look out and see a big, gray roof,” Sacks-Jones says. “It’s mainly succulents and has brown-green tones,” she says of the sedum roof. A skylight can be seen here too, which brings light into the back of the building.
These plans for the building and garden — the “before” plan is at the top, and the “after” is at the bottom — explain the space.
Inside the building, the layout is open plan, with a seating and TV and games area that can be converted into a sleeping space when required. Toward the back is the kitchenette and the shower room.
Just visible here too, at the top left of the lower drawing, is a little cutout to allow for a neighbor’s existing lime tree. “It’s actually worked out really nicely, because it created a tiny courtyard, which is lit and planted and lovely to look out over from inside,” Sacks-Jones says. “The space is accessible from inside through a window, but only for maintenance.”
Inside the building, the layout is open plan, with a seating and TV and games area that can be converted into a sleeping space when required. Toward the back is the kitchenette and the shower room.
Just visible here too, at the top left of the lower drawing, is a little cutout to allow for a neighbor’s existing lime tree. “It’s actually worked out really nicely, because it created a tiny courtyard, which is lit and planted and lovely to look out over from inside,” Sacks-Jones says. “The space is accessible from inside through a window, but only for maintenance.”
Sacks-Jones incorporated this bay window seat to enhance the inside-outside feel. “It overhangs a planted area, so you feel as if you’re part of the garden when sitting in it,” she says. “The planting will mature over time and make this an even more lush space to sit.”
Here is the window seat as seen from inside. “We made the ledge deep enough to be comfortable,” Sacks-Jones says. “The owners usually have cushions on it, so you can sit and read there. Anywhere you look in this space, there’s a sense of the garden.”
This shot, taken from inside the outbuilding and looking back to the house, shows how the three-panel door slides out of sight to open up the space to the exterior.
You can also see the interior finishes here. “We didn’t want it to be too pristine,” Sacks-Jones says. “We wanted the inside to feel like a garden building rather than plastered and painted.” She chose birch plywood paneling and exposed the ceiling.
You can also see the interior finishes here. “We didn’t want it to be too pristine,” Sacks-Jones says. “We wanted the inside to feel like a garden building rather than plastered and painted.” She chose birch plywood paneling and exposed the ceiling.
“At the end of the job, the clients asked for some help with the interior decor,” Sacks-Jones says. This sketch was part of the process. “We drew in a casual arrangement of rugs and some of the kids’ artworks to make this feel more informal as a space — more gardeny — and lots of green and lots of plants against the back wall,” she says.
This is the living-TV-gaming area, which, as noted, can also become a bedroom for guests. (There’s a pool table just behind the point where the photo was taken from; its corner is just visible in an earlier shot.) The architect says they plan to add a birch built-in to conceal the TV stand.
Here you can just glimpse an openable window on the left — this overlooks the tiny cutout area that accommodates the neighbor’s tree, which has been planted to create a green view. “The window also provides cross ventilation in the building,” Sacks-Jones says.
The kitchen, made by the builder and featuring birch plywood, is small but fully functioning, with an induction cooktop, an oven, a small dishwasher, an undercounter fridge and a tall cabinet at the end. “It’s perfect for summer parties,” Sacks-Jones says. Corian counters top cabinets with melamine-faced birch plywood doors. The skylight brings natural light to this area.
This door, at the other end of the kitchen, leads to the shower room. “It’s called a jib door,” Sacks-Jones says. “It has no architrave. The idea, again, was to keep it simple but also quite subtle.”
The homeowners suggested the mirrored panel behind the bar in the kitchenette. “It means you still see the garden when facing into the space,” Sacks-Jones says.
There’s electric underfloor heating beneath the Marmoleum flooring. The building is supplied with electricity, Wi-Fi, water and waste systems. The lighting is Wi-Fi controlled. “It means it can be lit up, so you’re not walking down there in the dark,” Sacks-Jones says.
There’s electric underfloor heating beneath the Marmoleum flooring. The building is supplied with electricity, Wi-Fi, water and waste systems. The lighting is Wi-Fi controlled. “It means it can be lit up, so you’re not walking down there in the dark,” Sacks-Jones says.
This photo of the building at night shows the minimal external lighting. “It’s just enough so you can see it from the house, and it gives a focus to the end of the garden,” Sacks-Jones says.
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Cottage at a Glance
Who lives here: A family with three elementary school-age children and a dog
Location: South London
Size: The outbuilding is about 517 square feet (48 square meters).
Architect: Ellen Sacks-Jones of Matthew Giles Architects
“The clients had this bit of unloved space at the end of their garden that kicks out, and our brief was twofold,” Sacks-Jones says. The team was asked “to make the most of this bit of the garden, so it didn’t just peter away — especially as the owner really loves gardening — and also to create extra family space, where the kids can hang out,” she says.
The new outbuilding also functions as an occasional guest room, with a seating area that converts into a sleeping space. There’s a shower room and a small kitchen, plus a games table, a TV and storage space. “It’s also intended to be used as a garden room for the whole family at parties or barbecues, to give them some indoor space,” Sacks-Jones says.
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