Villa garden in Numansdorp

Villa garden in Numansdorp

Tough and opulent, brought together in one design

A garden should be beautiful and a garden should be functional. But above all, a garden should be green. Good garden design is the optimal alignment of architecture with nature. The paving in a garden deserves attention, but the starring role is always the planting.

According to this vision, Peter van der Velden designs Exclusive Outdoor Spaces. It is also that vision that makes Peter love working with Schellevis® concrete. A versatile product that provides harmony in a garden design. The unique look of the tile always supports a garden design.

“The beauty of Schellevisis its timelessness. You can apply it in classic designs as well as in modern concepts. And because it is a constant product, meaning timeless, you can always depend on it. In ten years, you can just order the same tile again,” Peter explains. “With Schellevis’ range of concrete products, you can combine endlessly. And I can do so much with this material. I make seating elements, stairs and even complete walls with it. By processing curb stones flat, you can lay strips in a straight line, a half-stone bond, a wild link or even in a herringbone. In addition, with floating terraces I can play with the space. So with one type of material you can vary enormously, while maintaining tranquility and cohesion.”

“Moreover, a concrete tile is heavy enough to lay directly in a bed of sand. In the area where I work a lot, the Rotterdam region, the subsoil is subject to subsidence. The application of a ceramic tile requires a solid foundation and that is expensive. And even then you can raise it again after a number of years. That’s money you’d really rather put into planting. In that which is visible,” said Peter.

“When I incorporate concrete in a design, it’s actually always Schellevis,” he said.

The design process

The client indicates his requirements prior to the design process. What should an end-user garden meet. “In the early stages of design, I usually start from the product: one material, maybe in two shades. Of course, there are desires in which concrete is not the right solution. Sometimes, for example, a ceramic tile is preferred. In the proposal to clients, I also submit the choice of material. And then if I choose a concrete tile, I almost always choose Schellevis.”

A tough but playful villa

In Numansdorp, Peter van der Velden designed a garden around a special new construction villa. The villa consists of three rectangles staggered in relation to each other. This stemmed from the polygonal plot that has many oblique lines. The garden also contains height differences. So the lot itself has many sloping lines both in height and surface. This forms a free play of lines. Peter cleverly took advantage of that in the garden design.

Schellevis® tile paths are the connecting factor between different garden sections. From the house, the corten steel bridge forms a beautiful line of sight. Together with the garden path and terraces, this gives a playful effect. A 120×60 tile was used to create a garden path connecting the patio to the canopy. The canopy with storage shed has the same style, detailing and also an articulation as the house. All realized with Schellevis® products. This makes the outdoor space an extension of the villa.

A grand gesture

The residents wanted a rugged but lush garden. “Tough materials with a touch of wild planting in which there is always something to experience. As rugged as it gets with the changing colors through the seasons, but also because of the diverse wildlife it attracts,” Peter explains. “That’s where Schellevis’ thick robust tile fits in perfectly. Both matching the wooden panels in the house and with the corten steel that has been incorporated into the design.”

To give the villa a tough look, Peter immediately made a grand gesture at the entrance with large floating slabs. “The stone strips on the front facade combine beautifully with a concrete product. With level differences, we were able to create a floating effect. In addition, we played with just another small clinker in the driveway. Same material, color and texture, but in a different format. The free form and height differences are fluidly accommodated by a small clinker in elbow bond. Moreover, this is better for the function of driveway: the entry and exit of cars.

The koi pond

In the free form of the plot, however, there was one fixed feature: a koi pond had been ordered. The shape and location for it had already been determined. Peter explains, “In a koi pond, no plants are allowed and nothing should come in contact with the water. Everything to keep the water quality optimal for the well-being of the koi carp. That pond was a rectangular plastic container. I didn’t think that was appropriate. Therefore, we positioned another free-form pond against it. A pond with a separate filtration, in which we could work with aquatic plants. We incorporated the pond into the surrounding greenery, with a Japanese maple hanging over the water. We concealed the plastic edge with a wooden cover strip. The corten steel bridge is perpendicular to the house and crosses the pond with a kink. Because that pond already existed and because of that kink in the bridge, making that burg structure was quite a challenge.

Tension and balance

On the one hand, tension has been created in the design, but it is balanced by maintaining unity. “And you do that with the choice of materials and the variation in color. Color difference is also practically convenient. For example, by signifying the height difference with a different color tile. This is no luxury in the dark and twilight. It is a complex process among other things between aesthetics and the practical or tension and tranquility. By applying Schellevis products in different sizes and colors, you maintain peace and unity.

The residents are very happy with the end result: a lush garden with bold elements and matching plantings. The seasonal experience is there in color and vegetation. This makes the garden look natural and keeps it a nice place to be. With a little love and occasional help from a landscaper, they now have an outdoor space that perfectly suits their special villa and themselves.

Design: Peter van der Velden – Exclusive Outdoor Spaces

View Schellevis projects here

View the projects of Peter van der Velden here

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