Our Process

A garden with various plants, including a small tree with white blossoms, green grass, and other foliage in front of a pale green wall.

Designscape is a multi award-winning garden design studio with over 30 years of experience crafting elegant, enduring outdoor spaces. We believe the most successful gardens are those that feel both beautiful and personal, which is recognizing why we take a collaborative, considered approach with every client. From the first conversation to the final detail, our designs are shaped by a deep understanding of lifestyle, place, and proportion. The result is a garden that feels effortlessly refined, thoughtfully designed, and a pleasure to live with for years to come.

We offer a tailored, end-to-end design experience for discerning clients:

Garden design Bespoke concepts developed around your property, lifestyle and vision.

Landscape consultancy Expert guidance on layouts, materials and spatial planning.

Outdoor living design Integrated features including terraces, pools, kitchens and entertaining spaces.

Planting design Sophisticated, involving schemes that bring structure, texture and seasonal interest.

A thoughtful, collaborative process

Every Designscape project follows a clear and considered journey:

Discovery - Understanding your space, goals and lifestyle

Concept design - Creative layouts and spatial ideas

Detailed design - Materials, levels, lighting and planting

Delivery support - Guidance to ensure design integrity is realised

We collaborate closely with trusted professional contractors and suppliers to ensure exceptional execution at every stage.

limestone and composite deck
day bed with cushions

Here’s Our Process

  • After your initial enquiry we set up your project with a garden questionnaire and arrange an appointment to meet at your property. We also set up a WhatsApp garden group to learn about your preferences, features you want to include, garden style and aesthetics. During this first phase and site survey we analyse your garden noting all existing features and take detailed measurements of your garden including all elevation levels throughout.

  • We begin by developing a bespoke concept design that sets the vision for your new garden. Using all the information gathered during the site survey, we create a fully scaled 3D concept model that explores layout, structure, levels and key design elements. This stage allows you to visualise how the garden will look and feel as a whole, before any details are finalised.

    The concept design is a collaborative process, and we include two rounds of revisions to refine the proposal. This ensures the design evolves in line with your brief, lifestyle and aesthetic preferences, creating a strong, well-considered foundation for the detailed design stages that follow.

  • Once your concept proposal is approved, we move into the design development stage, where every element of your garden is brought to life in meticulous detail. High-resolution visuals illustrate your scheme in both day and night settings, allowing you to appreciate lighting, texture and atmosphere.

    To provide the most immersive experience possible, we complement these visuals with a cinematic animation fly-through together with a 360º virtual garden tour guiding you on a journey through your new garden. This ensures you can experience and refine your space with confidence before any landscaping begins, creating a seamless transition from vision to reality.

  • We present a curated style board that brings your garden’s aesthetic to life. This includes carefully considered colour schemes, planting combinations, and product suggestions selected to complement your design. Each element is thoughtfully chosen to ensure a cohesive and harmonious look, helping you visualise the textures, finishes, and mood of your garden before implementation.

  • At this stage, we translate your approved design into precise technical drawings, including detailed elevations and specifications for various aspect of your project where required. These drawings provide contractors with the clarity and guidance needed to bring the design to life exactly as envisioned, ensuring accuracy, quality, and a seamless transition from concept to construction.

  • A carefully coordinated planting palette is tailored to suit the unique character of your garden, taking into account its aspect, soil conditions, and your overall design style. Every plant is selected not only for beauty but for form, texture, seasonal interest, and long-term growth, ensuring a harmonious and sustainable scheme.

  • We create a bespoke lighting design plan that enhances your garden’s atmosphere and highlights its key features after dark. Every fixture is carefully specified for both function and aesthetics, ensuring the right balance of illumination, shadow, and mood. Thoughtful lighting transforms your garden into a captivating space at night, extending enjoyment while complementing the overall design.

  • We work closely with your build team to ensure the design is executed to the highest standard, preserving the integrity and vision of the original concept. From overseeing construction details to providing guidance on materials, finishes, and plant installation, our involvement ensures a seamless transition from plan to reality, delivering a garden that fully reflects the design’s intent and quality.

  • This can vary greatly depending on the size of project, complexity of design, budget and specifics. Every design is unique and tailored to individual client needs and requirements. In general we allow 10-12 weeks which allows for surveys, design modelling and presentation, design changes, product research, 3D visuals and animation video, technical drafting and feed back time from you. Design is a collaborative approach and we greatly encourage interaction which makes for an exciting and enjoyable process.

  • New garden costs can vary widely depending on your requirements, the size and location of your garden, and the complexity of the design and features you choose. We are open and transparent about costs and discuss your budget from the very start. A thoughtfully designed and professionally landscaped garden adds more than just visual appeal — it creates a space that works for your lifestyle, improves how you use your outdoor area year-round, and can significantly increase the value and desirability of your property. By investing in good design and quality workmanship, you avoid costly mistakes and achieve a garden that will mature beautifully over time.

  • At the start of our process we will contact our preferred Landscape contractors to check their schedule and availability for your project as there will be a lead time for their services. Once we have finalised all your garden plans and details we then introduce you to our preferred professional landscape partners. We will meet at your property to run through the design and works involved so they can then provide you with an itemised quotation to build your new garden.

  • We don’t recommend using your builders to landscape your garden.

    Professional landscaping is a highly skilled trade involving many different materials and techniques that builders are un familiar with. A great landscaping team has passion, dedication and total commitment to every element of your garden build along with horticultural knowledge and take great pride in their creation. We work alongside the very best landscape contractors to ensure a successful outcome for your project.

  • Absolutely. If you have a preferred planting list, specific plants you love, or a particular colour palette in mind, these can be thoughtfully incorporated into your design. We work closely with you to refine the overall look, offering expert guidance on plant selection, combinations and placement to ensure a cohesive, balanced scheme that works beautifully with your garden’s conditions and long-term vision.

  • Based in Hertfordshire, close to North London we work with clients throughout Herts, London and Essex. In addition, we offer a remote design service, allowing us to create bespoke garden designs for clients across the UK and internationally. This flexible approach removes geographical limitations and enables a highly considered design process, tailored to each site using detailed surveys, photography, video consultations and local insight. Working remotely ensures flexibility, efficiency and a seamless experience, while maintaining the highest level of design quality wherever you are.

FAQs

Urban rooftop patio with wooden decking, illuminated with yellow LED lighting, featuring potted trees and green bushes, surrounded by buildings and large trees in the background.