A floating terrace in idyllic greenery
Enchanting garden at a country villa in Hellendoorn
In Hellendoorn, surrounded by beautiful countryside, lies a rural villa with a striking design. The spacious plot is rich in greenery. The greenery of the environment is reflected in the garden through the various shades, shapes, sizes and textures. This is enhanced by the contrast with the light gray of the sturdy concrete tiles, the robustness of corten steel elements and the expansive views around the house. Extra special is the raised terrace in the backyard. This one lies like a floating raft in a wealth of greenery.
The driveway is laid with Maas gravel in a light color. Richard de Jong of Studio Nova deliberately chooses the light color gray in his designs when it comes to large areas of paving in the garden. ‘The light color makes the green of the planting stand out nicely, and besides, it doesn’t discolor.’ In the gravel are large 100 x 200 cm Schellevis tiles as a walkway to the entrance of the house. This entrance is imposing and the large tile enhances this effect. When you walk around the house through the garden, you immediately see the surrounding landscape.
Special sightlines
Richard designed this garden with that location in the landscape in mind. ‘From the villa you have three different sight lines to the outdoor space. We filled each of these with special eye-catchers, so to speak.’ To the left, your eye is drawn to the trees, via an elongated corten steel pond. A contrasting object, which with length makes the rear view extra interesting. Central right lawn extends to the French doors. This makes the meadow behind seem connected to the garden. ‘We actually reinforced that illusion, that the plot is infinite, with a country garden fence. This makes it look like the pasture behind it belongs to the plot’ explains Richard. Unlike traditional designs, the terrace is not centrally located. This is laid out a bit more to the right and is thus out of sight from the kitchen.
‘Sometimes you try something and in this case it worked out very well.’
But it is not so much the location that makes this terrace special. Richard built this patio elevated. This makes it appear to float above the surface. This actually began as an experiment. ‘Sometimes you try something and in this case it worked out very well. Here too I chose a Schellevis tile of 100 x 200 cm. It breaks the long line of the brick path. That makes it a bit more exciting. The Schellevis tile lends itself perfectly to the construction of a raised terrace. ‘The tile is finished the same on the side as the top. So this side has an equally beautiful appearance’ Richard explains. The terrace feels like a floating raft in a sea of greenery. The light gray color and large size are complementary to the various shades of green, as well as precisely to the smaller darker clinker. From the canopy, a decking terrace of Millboard runs to the far right. This has the same light color as the tiles. The diverse materials keep things exciting, while the unity in color here manages to maintain harmony.
Deliberate variation
Studio Nova was commissioned to design a garden on this spacious plot using pre-existing elements. Parts that provided an interesting starting point for the garden designer. Richard chose a lot of diversity in this garden with lots of different leafy greens. ‘Flowers only bloom for a limited period in the year. Choosing lots of variety in foliage and leaf texture gives the garden a beautiful look all year round.’ It’s not just the variety found in the plantings. Richard plays with multiple types and colors of paving and adds excitement with planters and water features in Corten steel. ‘The variation is deliberate and that creates harmony. The garden has an interesting, lush appearance. The transition to the surrounding landscape is thus seamless. This garden fits perfectly into its surroundings.
Photography: Cees Rijnen
View the full project here
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