The idea of a garden as a place of retreat, contemplation and sanctuary is as old as the concept of gardens itself. A place within the garden, usually in the form of a building or structure, is no less than a sanctuary within a sanctuary. Perhaps a womb-like experience.
This aspect of a garden is something of a lost art, relegated to a mere “summerhouse”, which is used to store the garden furniture. Maybe it's something to do with our climate, or perhaps our largely suburban existence. I think it's time to revive the garden structure as a place of retreat.
An organic retreat, made from chestnut
poles and turf
When I suggest that people consider a quite spot, away from the house and main seating area, people often say “Oh, I'd never use it, I don't have time.” Yet this is often brought about because they don't have such a place in which to retreat to, so they don't realise what an addictive experience it can be.
Of course, we have our often rather chilly summer evenings, where the idea of sitting out is more appealing than the reality. Sometimes an outdoor heater or fire pit can solve that issue, or such spaces can be more weather tight, and include the luxury of a wood-burning stove or even under-floor heating. Perhaps the ultimate warm-up and unwind experience can be found in a hot-tub, although these do not come cheap.
An evening retreat away from the
house, in contemporary style. the clients
often put a fire basket here at night
However you do it, in whatever style, the important thing is the act of relaxing. We're not very good at that, on the whole (I speak from experience here!). And yes, I've got that sunny spot down the end of the garden, which catches the last of the evening sun and no, there's no retreat placed there just yet. But I aspire to it and am gradually working in that direction.
This simple area was made at no cost: we simply re-arranged existing things and suddenly had this wonderful spot, in the afternoons and evenings... uncool, perhaps, but totally chilled out...
How do you define the success of such a space? By the amount of use it gets, of course. It doesn't matter how much or little you spend, whether it is rustic or urban chic - it has to work and get used. A word about style though - too many modern spaces are “intellectual” in their design. A sanctuary has to appeal to the heart. Know what really comforts you and use that as your design brief. You may have the most ube-cool minimalist house, but perhaps the garden sanctuary needs to be warm and rustic, as counterpoise to your aspirations?
Such a space should not perhaps be your main outdoor space, which might be the patio by the house, or if fully developed as a concept, an outdoor room. Such places have strong indoor/outdoor linkages and may be busy social spaces. A retreat is a place to read a book, drink wine, watch the evening sun, the stars or a log burning in a fire pit... You don't have to go to the country, or the Mediterranean for a bit of rest and relaxation. Just build yourself a sanctuary.
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