Softening an Arts and Crafts Exterior

The Arts and Crafts movement is known for taking inspiration from all things floral. The designs by William Morris are experiencing something of a renaissance currently and the delicate leaves and floral arrangements of The Strawberry Thief are highly regarded by many. Arts and Crafts houses are, by contrast, rather large and imposing red brick buildings that require softening externally with leaf and flower to break up their facades.

A key part of this project was to isolate colours and textures that would compliment the brickwork, both by softening and contrasting. The use of colour was kept to a minimum, using tones of blue that work well against orange of the brick along with buff grass seed heads and finally white roses to lighten the space.

Lower borders were designed to compliment those against the house, repeating species as well as colour tones in a rhythm that was allowed to expand into a larger space and using mature shrubs to support groups of perennials and bulbs.