Park Chase

A contemporary family garden in Guildford, Surrey, designed for entertaining, outdoor living and low-maintenance planting within a large suburban plot.

Park Chase Guildford Garden Design – A Contemporary Family Garden for Everyday Living

This family garden in Guildford, Surrey, located behind Guildford High School, was redesigned to transform an uninspiring suburban plot into a relaxed, sociable outdoor space that could be enjoyed every day. The clients — a family with two daughters — had recently renovated their house, but the garden no longer reflected their lifestyle or the quality of the home.

The original layout consisted of a long, featureless patio running the full width of the house, beyond which the garden felt dark, enclosed, and underused. Overgrown trees and dense shrubbery obscured views into the final third of the plot, while dry soil and heavy shade limited planting potential. Privacy was also a key consideration, with overlooking from neighbouring buildings and the school beyond.

Our design response focused on opening up the space while retaining a leafy, suburban character. A large oval lawn, set on the diagonal, anchors the garden and maximises its perceived width, providing generous space for family games, parties, and occasional marquees. A looping route around the perimeter encourages movement and discovery, revealing different garden rooms rather than presenting everything at once.

Close to the house, limestone paving with brick detailing forms a generous terrace and outdoor kitchen, softened by planting and roof-form trees that provide essential summer shade. A pergola walkway leads to a herringbone brick path, a gravel fire-pit area beneath an old apple tree, and onward to a golf studio and oak-framed garden annex, now used as a relaxed family hangout space.

Planting combines perennials, grasses, roses, shrubs, and carefully placed trees to deliver structure, screening, and year-round interest. The finished garden is now a true extension of the home — welcoming, adaptable, and fully integrated into family life.