Bonhill Residence, Brentwood

Our longest ongoing project began with inspiration from Vita Sackville-West’s celebrated Sissinghurst gardens, which features two parallel hedges. The big idea for the Bonhill residence was to link the house and the garden, which is situated below the main residence, by a stair built with large chunks of stone that in the process cuts the sloped hillside into two parts. We created outdoor rooms that are bifurcated by two parallel hedges on either side of the path.  

At the very bottom the full room has evolved into a sculpture garden with a Richard Long piece as well as a unique Michael Palladino folly that mixes wisteria and grapes. The empty room became a badminton lawn set next to an early Richard Serra corten-steel piece.  It is a beautiful space because it is used and not just looked at. We are constantly viewing and reviewing, putting in and taking out, while undergoing a wonderful process of discovery.