Situated on the corner of one of the greenest streets of Sant Gervasi district, in Barcelona, this small courtyard, forms part of a beautiful, modern and luxury ground floor flat.
Following in plan view an arc that is defined by the limits of the building block, a vertical wooden blind was designed, with the objective to protect the courtyard and in order to give more privacy to the inhabitants.
Photo: Filippo Poli.
The wooden wall accompanies the exterior seating area and the exterior dining area, which correspond to the living room of the interior, while the more private rooms of the house, like the kitchen and the bedrooms, are accompanied by big vertical wicker panels.
Plant.
This wooden wall is made out of Iroko wooden strips with a width of 3cm and 3 meters tall. Every strip is made out of variations of smaller pieces of wood (50 cm – 100 cm), which gives to the wall an extraordinary, playful effect with a variation of different shades of brown.
The wooden floor of the seating area gives to the space an even cozier touch, while sometimes is being interrupted by green stripes, with a low vegetation, with Bergenia cordifolia, Lomandra longifolia and groundcover ivy (Hedera helix) interplanted with daffodil bulbs, providing seasonal changes.
Photo: Filippo Poli.
A green area stands between the wooden wall and the seating area, having a stone sitting bench as a limit. For this area, climbing plants were chosen to dress the wooden wall, while the big variation of lower species that were chosen to be planted in the rest of the area, gives a wilder aspect to the garden. The species planted were Fatsia japonica, Nandina domestica, Mahonia ‘Soft Caress’ and, specially for its summer scent, Gardenia jasminoides.
Photo: Filippo Poli.
Such the wooden wall, as well as the wicker panels, are being accompanied by climbing plants and lower vegetation species such as ferns like Nephrolepis cordifolia and different Carex spp.
Photo: Filippo Poli.
In the long side of the garden, the floor alternate changes from wooden to stone depending on the use of each space. In spring, at this part of the garden, the smell of the flowers of an orange and a lemon tree offer exhilaration to the inhabitants, as the small lush areas, planted with elephant ears (Alocasia macrorhiza) and giant bird of paradise (Strelitzia nicolai) make them travel to a more tropical place.
Photo: Filippo Poli.
Overall, the coziness that is created by the form of the wooden wall, and the materials that have been used, as well as the cautiously selection of vegetation, gives the sensation of a well-protected and comfort zone that helps the inhabitants to disconnect from the outside world, relax and enjoy the wellness of the garden.
Vegetation Scheme.
