Private garden Grunewald, Berlin, Germany

Surrounded by dignified villas and manicured gardens, in direct proximity to the Grunewald, a modern house with a façade of natural travertine was built, replacing an old building with a garden, only an old-growth pine being allowed to remain, which now shades the seating area of the garden lounge and the swimmers in the swimming pond. With its lush banks, the pond is one of the main attractions of the garden, stretching 60 m² into the swimming area and 40 m² into the regeneration area. A wooden deck leads alongside the pond and to the garden kitchen, which was designed by the architects in Corten steel. The kitchen forms a compact demarcation to the neighbourhood that continues as an evergreen boxwood hedge and perennial border around the entire perimeter of the property. The two-metre change in grade in the front yard is conquered by three terraced steps and a stair system. The first step contains the overflow for drainage. The second step is occupied by perennial grasses between elegant ornamental trees. The background for the perennial planting is formed by the third step, which harbours the evergreen boxwood hedge, completing the frame of the property. From the street, a fence system constructed of Corten allows for the occasional view into the decorative front garden.