A paved path, a perforated screen and a pair of oversized planters already set the tone at the entrance. The route to the front door is laid in a running bond pattern, while the rhombus-shaped composite wall separates driveway and outdoor room without closing the view completely. From there, the eye reads the rest of the garden as a series of layers: stone, timber, planting and shadow. The result is a vacation vibe garden that feels protected from the wind yet still open to the water.

Sheltered terrace lounge under a shade structure

Along the side of the house, the outdoor space opens into a sheltered terrace lounge with a lower white wall in a rendered look. That wall splits the area into two parts: one for sitting back, one for a more intimate corner closer to the house. The floor changes into a characterful deck surface, and above it a coated aluminium shade structure gives the seating area a clear frame. What makes the space work is the way these elements stack up: low wall, raised line of the pergola, then the wider horizon beyond.

The lounge furniture stays close to the ground, which keeps the terrace calm even with the larger structure overhead. Around it, planters in different shapes interrupt the hard edges of the paving. Some are round and generous, others read as crisp rectangular boxes. That variation matters here, because the garden sits high and exposed, and every object has to do more than one job. The planters soften the wall line, but they also help the vacation vibe garden feel arranged rather than decorated.

Privacy made visible in the wall surfaces

The perforated privacy wall is the most distinctive move in the project. Its rhombus pattern gives the screen a drawn, almost graphic quality, and at the same time it blocks sightlines from the side. It also cuts the draft, which changes how the terrace can be used. Next to the white wall, the teakkleurige panel and the white aluminium insert catch light differently through the day. In some moments the screen reads as a solid plane; in others it breaks into shadows and openings. That shift gives the garden a sharper edge than a plain fence would.

At the entrance, a similar logic repeats in a quieter way. The driveway and the walkway are kept neat and direct, but the composite wall and the tall timber screens create a clear boundary between arrival and living space. Two large planters stand against the higher wall and stop it from feeling heavy. Their planting pulls the attention back to green, which is important in a project where hard surfaces do most of the framing. Even before reaching the terrace, the house already announces the sheltered terrace lounge beyond.

Wood slat fencing and the play of shade

The wood slat fencing works less as a backdrop than as a filter. Its vertical lines break up the height of the boundary and give the garden a steadier rhythm. In daylight, the slats cast narrow shadows onto the paving and the white surfaces nearby. Near the shade sail terrace, the structure above does something similar on a larger scale: it pulls a soft ceiling over the lounge and tempers the brightness without making the space feel closed. The combined effect is practical, but the visual result is what lingers.

Material contrast is handled with a firm hand. Warm timber, white rendered surfaces, grey paving and coated aluminium meet without trying to blend into one another. The deck surface has a weathered oak character, which keeps it from looking too polished next to the sharper walls and metal frame. The palette stays close to beige, grey, black and wood tones, so the garden reads as restrained rather than busy. That restraint lets the shapes do the work: wall, screen, pergola, planter, bench.

Evening garden lighting changes the pace

After dark, the project shifts. Wall lighting traces the edges of the screens, and small spots placed among the planting catch leaves and stems from below. The evening garden lighting does not flood the terrace; it isolates parts of it. A strip of timber, the perforated panel, a cluster of grasses, the seat back of the lounge — each detail appears in its own pocket of light. The terrace becomes slower to read and more intimate, with the shadows from the rhombus pattern becoming part of the composition.

That controlled lighting suits the position of the garden beside the water. The space remains enclosed enough for privacy, but the opening toward the IJssel is never forgotten. The pergola frames the view rather than blocking it, and the lighting keeps the edge of the terrace legible once daylight fades. In a garden like this, atmosphere comes from precise placement: a lamp at the wall, a spot in the border, a light line against the slats. Nothing is overlit, and that makes the surfaces look sharper.

Mediterranean planting in a windy setting

The planting carries the holiday reference without turning the garden into a theme. Cork oak with a twisted trunk, bamboo, sheep fescue, sedge, dwarf palm and grape heather build a planting picture with movement and texture. Flowering plants such as clematis, oleander, lavender and butterfly bush add color in shorter bursts. The mix has a Mediterranean planting character, but it is also chosen for an exposed site where leaves need to move and stems need to hold shape. The planting sits in strict beds and generous pots, so the softness is controlled.

Seen from the terrace, the greenery is not a backdrop but a sequence of edges and interruptions. A grass tuft softens the base of a wall. A palm-like form breaks the line of a planter. A climbing stem reaches into the frame of the shade structure. Those gestures stop the hard materials from dominating the view. They also bring scale to the terrace, which would otherwise feel too tied to the architecture. This is where the vacation vibe garden earns its name: not through decoration, but through the way light, screen and planting let the space feel like a place to stay.

The finished composition is clear from every angle. At the front, the route to the door sets up the house. Along the side, the sheltered terrace lounge gathers the day’s use into one protected zone. Timber, composite, aluminium and planting each hold a distinct role, and the perforated privacy wall keeps the whole arrangement readable. There is no excess here, only a sequence of surfaces and views that makes the garden feel composed for sitting, looking and staying out a little longer.