The brief for this small garden located in the heart of the historic City of Oxford in the UK was challenging and succinct: Explore and develop some innovative ideas for the garden. The design had to incorporate a walkway from the new kitchen addition to the office at the far end of the garden, create an inviting, elegant space to relax and entertain in and some multi-level planting areas. The clients expressed an interest in a design that cultivated a cottage garden atmosphere, showed seasonal colour and texture and kept the maintenance to a manageable level. We selected the hardscaping carefully to blend into the existing architecture and surrounds.