The first thing you notice is the width of the wooden deck at the water. It runs straight across the garden and gives the rear space a firm edge, while the lawn stays open in front of it. After the interior renovation and new extension, the existing garden was rebuilt from scratch, and that decision is visible in every line: the long surfaces, the quiet planting, and the direct route from house to water all belong to one clear composition. The result is a minimalist garden with water that feels measured rather than sparse.

From front door to garden entrance

At the front, the entrance is pulled into focus by a diagonal path of floating slabs. The move is simple, but it changes the way the house is approached: the walk is no longer straight and functional, but slightly angled, so the front garden gains presence and the doorway reads as a deliberate point in the plan. A more private planting edge softens the view from the street, while the imported slate introduces a rougher texture against the larger concrete slabs that anchor the path.

The planting here is restrained and layered. It may look as if it has settled on its own, yet the spacing and repetition show careful editing. Low plants sit close to the slabs, then lift into slightly fuller bands beside the lawn. That rhythm keeps the entrance from feeling empty. It also sets up one of the project’s main ideas: the landscape design is not built from decoration, but from proportion, surface, and pause.

A side route that opens the plan

Rather than leading directly to the back, the route through the side garden creates a gradual reveal. From this angle, the garden opens in sections: first the path, then the lawn edge, then the water. The geometry stays calm, but it is not rigid. Gravel strips, stepped concrete elements, and the lawn margins keep shifting in relation to one another, so the walk through the garden feels paced. This is where the minimalist landscape design becomes most legible.

The borders follow the movement of the lawn instead of cutting it into hard blocks. That detail matters, because it keeps the big grass surface from looking isolated. The planting bands do the opposite of filling space for the sake of volume; they mark edges, guide the eye, and let the open lawn remain the dominant plane. Near the house, the canopy frames the terrace and gives the transition from interior to garden a defined ceiling line without closing the view.

The rear garden and the line of the dock

In the back garden, the lowest seating area forms a quiet pocket before the water. A wooden bench marks the edge, then continues into the dock itself, so the gesture reads as one continuous line. That transition from seat to boardwalk turns a simple resting place into part of the garden structure. The wide wooden dock does more than offer access to the water; it sets the scale of the rear garden and gives the entire composition a clear horizontal anchor.

The material contrast is restrained but decisive. Hard wood meets gravel, concrete, lawn, and planted borders, each surface doing a different job. The dock absorbs movement and carries it outward. The grass holds the middle of the garden open. The stone slabs keep the circulation readable. Together they make a minimalist garden with water that relies on precision rather than on volume or ornament.

Seating cut into the plan

The sunken seating area is not separated from the rest of the garden by heavy walls or raised edges. Instead, it is marked by level changes and by the way the wooden bench links into the dock. That gives the space a clear function without making it feel enclosed. From the lawn, the seating zone reads as a cut into the plan; from the water side, it becomes part of the dock line. The two readings sit side by side, which is where the architecture of the garden becomes visible.

Planting, light and the evening image

The planting keeps repeating in measured bands, with textures that stay close to the ground in some places and lift in others. It never overwhelms the hard surfaces. Instead, it softens the edges of the gravel path and lawn borders, and it lets the long surfaces remain readable. The effect is especially clear at dusk, when the garden lighting picks out trunks, border lines, and the edges of the terrace. The light is restrained, but it gives the plan depth once daylight drops away.

Seen in the evening, the garden becomes all about outline. The dark water, the pale concrete, and the timber deck each reflect light in a different way, so the geometry is easier to read. The overhang at the house glows from below, while the planted areas hold pockets of shadow. That contrast keeps the rear garden from flattening out after dark. It also shows how carefully the layout was tied to the house: the lines remain visible from the terrace all the way to the dock.

Material choices that stay visible

The imported slate gives the front approach a rougher grain than the larger cast slabs around it, and that contrast carries through the rest of the scheme. Nothing is treated as background. The stone underfoot, the timber at the water, the gravel beside the lawn, and the stepped surfaces near the terrace all stay in view and all help define how the garden is used. The design depends on those differences, but it never turns them into display. The materials stay calm because the layout gives them room to speak.

What makes the project compelling is the way large gestures and small adjustments sit together without competing. The wide dock, the diagonal entry path, the sunken seating area, and the repeated planting bands all belong to one measured framework. Yet the garden never feels overdrawn. There is enough openness for the lawn to breathe and enough structure for the water edge to hold the composition. That is the strength of this minimalist garden with water: every move has a clear purpose, and nothing has been left to chance.

Text: Hans van Mook
Photography: Peter Baas

Professionals
Parasol: Tuuci