The driveway to the house cuts through a forested area and crosses a weathering steel bridge as it approaches the main façade. Clad in sage green ceramic, the façade blends in with the colour of the forest and the vertical lines resonate with the upward momentum of the pine trunks.

The bedroom windows also overlook the forest with views of white birch trunks and the bushy branches of pines and fir trees. With moss, forest plants, needles and pine cones, the forest appears to be nestled up against the building.

We had to place a simple but eye-catching plant near the house façade – something with an overall sense of nature but also schematic and resonant with the clear lines of the architecture. It proved the perfect setting for a small hawthorn tree with a crown of about 4.5 m and branches that spread out sideways.

The entrance to the home is situated at the back and a covered gallery runs the length of the house. This separate space, adjoining the entrance and the gallery but cut off from the forest by the house, proved the ideal location for our colourful, formal garden.

The garden consists of topiary trimmed plants in neat, geometric shapes that perfectly match the architecture of the house and structure the design, as well as a range of perennials. They are bright and animated when in bloom and influence the mood of the garden depending on the time of year.

The garden consists of topiary trimmed plants in neat, geometric shapes that perfectly match the architecture of the house and structure the design, as well as a range of perennials. They are bright and animated when in bloom and influence the mood of the garden depending on the time of year.