INTERNATIONAL: NETHERLANDS INTERNATIONAL: NETHERLANDS

The naturalistic stream is foil lined and has an exterior pump for easy access for maintenance

PHOTOGRAPHS: Philippe Perdereau WORDS: Claire Masset DUTCH COURAGE Designer Noël van Mierlo was brave enough to design his first stream into this contemporary plot of two parts

14 JOURNAL WWW.GARDENDESIGNJOURNAL.COM OCTOBER 2017 GARDEN DESIGN JOURNAL 15 INTERNATIONAL:INTERNATIONAL POLANDNETHERLANDS INTERNATIONAL: HOLLAND

The garden The pavilion or pool transitions into a house, with its more contemporary glass-and-steel style with a roof, rests at an fabricated steel eye-catching angle bridge, punctuated on its bangkirai with acacia poles, or Yellow Balau which leads from the wood frame swimming pool

Noël van Mierlo ew designers would attempt to pack a shifts of the tree trunks, creating a garden that feels dynamic Noël van Mierlo worked in swimming pool, pool house, stream and alive. The acacia poles that pierce the bridge produce an landscaping for 19 years, and forest-like garden into a 150m2 plot. exciting concord between nature and the man-made. designing and building high-end F , before opening a small But Dutch designer Noël van Mierlo likes to design office for residential think big. “I’d worked with the client before,” Well connected gardens with his wife Iris he explains. “So when he moved to a smaller The swimming pool was built close to the house. “That’s in 2012. He is the winner of several awards including house, he commissioned me again. He loves where the sun is most of the day. And it feels fitting to have a Dutch Garden of the Year in nature and trees and gave me the freedom to contemporary pool close to a contemporary house. Then we 2002, 2008 and 2010; Most create something special.” had to create a transition to the natural part of the garden in Sustainable Garden 2012; and the International Pondy Award The original garden, in the village of the back. “There was budget to do something amazing. The for Best Natural Pool 2015. Deurne in the Netherlands, was overgrown, garden is very high end – every square metre is built,” explains www.vanmierlotuinen.nl so everything was up for grabs. Van Mierlo van Mierlo. Materials are all beautifully crafted. The paving by envisaged a natural stream in a woodland the pool is Swedish granite, the deck is Ipé wood. setting, with the addition of an asymmetric For the bridge, he chose raw steel “because it rusts more steel bridge and angled pavilion to ease the beautifully than Corten steel”. The pool house and fence are transition to a contemporary swimming pool. made from bangkirai wood. Originally the pool house was After producing a rough design for the L-shaped site, he going to have a green roof – hence the angled design, for spent a lot of time “connecting the dots”, making sure all the viewing the . In the end, the client decided against it, for elements – both the soft and hard landscaping – were in some maintenance reasons, so Van Mierlo went for a roof of steel way related. He selected the rocks from a local quarry to match and glass instead. the colour of the slates on the house. Similarly, the steel of Connection is clearly key in this garden, but so is a close the bridge communicates with the iron in the stones, and the observation of nature. “I spent a lot of time in the Ardennes, orange tones of the steel echo those in the brick walls. Varying shades of grey-brown, rust and ochre are the perfect foil for “WE HAVE A LOT OF CONTEMPORARY the gradations of green in the planting. The overall effect feels earthy and naturalistic, despite the use of modern materials. GARDENS… I SEE A LOT OF FROZEN Van Mierlo didn’t just rely on tonal correspondence to MOMENTS: 12 MONTHS THAT LOOK create harmony and smooth transitions between the different spaces. The slanted pool house and the shifting angles of the ALMOST THE SAME. WE HAVE SEASONS, bridge echo the jagged shapes of the rocks and the diagonal SO WHY NOT CELEBRATE THEM?”

16 GARDEN DESIGN JOURNAL WWW.GARDENDESIGNJOURNAL.COM INTERNATIONAL: NETHERLANDS 18 OUT MORE OUT about the SGD the about ‘ W conference conference PERENNIAL PLANTING KEY KEY PLANTING PERENNIAL BORDERS PLANTS, GRASSESANDFERNS GARDEN DESIGN JOURNAL JOURNAL DESIGN GARDEN ater FIND FIND p43 Polystichum setiferum Polystichum Dryopteris erythrosora Dryopteris Carex plantaginea Carex Helleborus Rodgersia podophylla Rodgersia Carex buchananii Carex Digitalis lutea Digitalis rediviva Lunaria plantaginea Hosta Digitalis ferruginea Digitalis multiflorum Polygonatum tabularis Astilboides Calamagrostis W ays’

x sternii

brachytricha ‘Grandiflora’ ‘Braunlaub’ ‘Dahlem’

WWW.GARDENDESIGNJOURNAL.COM Pool House OTHER PERENNIALSANDGROUNDCOVER Viola odorata Viola Galium odoratum Galium Tiarella cordifolia Tiarella Cornus canadensis Cornus Astilbe simplicifolia Astilbe Pulmonaria angustifolia Pulmonaria poscharskyana Campanula ‘LisdugganVariety’ Lathyrus vernus Lathyrus cantabrigiense x Geranium formosa Dicentra plumbaginoides Ceratostigma Epimedium amplexicaulis Persicaria Acaena microphylla Acaena Leptinella squalida Leptinella Ipé decking x warleyense ‘Langtrees’ ‘Sprite’ ‘Kupferteppich’ ‘Inverleith’

‘Biokovo’ Bridge bulbocodium Narcissus Primula bulleyana Primula Carex grayi Carex Onoclea sensibilis Onoclea Damp, solitary: WATERCOURSE PLANTS ALONGTHE h a c BACKYARD BULBS n c BULBS    ‘Firefly’ Corydalis solida Corydalis sieberi Crocus ranunculoides Anemone Anemone non-scripta Hyacinthoides Hyacinthoides Narcissus Stream bed Stream ‘Thalia’ (bulb)

Comarum palustre Comarum ficaria Ranunculus Lobelia sessilifolia Lobelia demersum reptans Mazus nummularia ‘Brazen Hussy’ Damp, smallgroups: Ceratophyllum Ceratophyllum UNDERWATER palustris Thelypteris POND PLANTS magellanica Gunnera Lysimachia house Pool

believes that collaboration with great people is the secret secret the is people great with collaboration that believes He soil.” every in works what knows Ruurd “but explains, Van Mierlo architect,” of an more “I’m Donkelaar. van Ruurd plantsman work of talented the is planting perennial The Secrets of success them?” not celebrate why so country, this in We have seasons same. the almost look that months 12 moments: alot of frozen Isee house. of the extension an but nothing are most but gardens, of contemporary have we alot Netherlands the “In says. he autumn,” the in beautifully colour that trees Ipicked so exposed, are seasons gold. and of yellow shades glorious turns foliage delicate its autumn, In size. small and of colour freshness paniculata Koelreuteria chose Mierlo Van specimens.” of different amuseum like are which gardens, some not like It’s aforest. in like just same, the all almost are trees “The planting. the does too So real.” itlooks long but 4m just is garden the in stream The thing. real to dothe I wanted streams. and woods the away, drive studying hour’s an about YESTERDAY’S NEWS” YOURSELF IS EVERYTHING DOING GOOD PEOPLE. WORK WITH AND TO RIGHT – DOIT DOSOMETHING, THAT“I’VE LEARNED IF YOU WANT “I wanted to create a place where the dynamics of the of the dynamics the where aplace to create wanted “I because of its transparency, transparency, of its because odorata erythrosora Dryopteris as Many, such feel. lovely woodland Epimedium people.” right the with you work have to if be itdoesn’t but other, or the one often It’s oriented. or architecture either are gardens A lot of new best. the with Icollaborate so garden, possible best the make to priority: have one “I wife. his with agency design a smaller runs he nowadays but 15 about company, people, employing to have alandscape used He garden. asuccessful to creating yourself is yesterday’s news.” news.” yesterday’s is yourself everything Doing people. good work with –and do itright to dosomething, you want if that learned I’ve effort. seamless a to like look made complexity of the proud most I’m possible. are things that and special for something aim can you to that me proved It of it. proud very I’m and experiment of akind was It astream. with garden my first was “It Mierlo. magical. look scene whole the make pool and stream the in lights the blue and electric wonderful a turn metal and slates of the greys The pool. the near wood and bricks of the textures the are as focus, dramatic into brought are leaves and trunks tree of the contours The lights. LED placed carefully and small used who Tielens, Jolanda specialist with worked Van too, Mierlo Here, lighting. delicate plot. small arelatively in of spaciousness afeeling creating breathe, can them around space and rocks stream, the that so clumps, small in or appear ground, the hug They low growing. Fittingly, the perennial plants and – such as as –such shrubs and plants perennial the Fittingly, Built in 2011, the garden proved a turning point for Van point aturning proved 2011, in garden the Built to thanks feel different avery on takes garden the night, At , and Helleborus , and x paving and Ipé deck Ipé and paving on granite the lighting terrace also features RIGHT paniculata Koelreuteria and paths lighting LEDs small with at night atmosphere LEFT warleyense The garden has has garden The The pool trees trees xsternii Pulmonaria angustifolia Pulmonaria and

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Photo: Noël van Mierlo WHO’S WHO www.elzenzwembaden.nl Elzen SwimmingPools Swimming pool www.lichtaan.com Jolanda Tielens Lighting design www.ruurdvandonkelaar.nl Ruurd vanDonkelaar Planting design www.vanmierlotuinen.nl Van MierloTuinen and planting Landscaping, hardscape

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