Design By Katja

Design By Katja Complete garden and swimming pool design service with over 2 decades experience in creating exceptional outdoor living. UK | Europe | Bi-Lingual

Design By Katja | For Outdoor Living
We have all been awestruck by nature at one time or another. Whether in admiring a beautiful sunset on a white sandy beach, walking alongside a cool trickling stream or hearing the wind blow through the trees on a frosty autumn walk. Being outdoors and aware of the world’s beauty can make you feel energized and alive. So, why not extend your living further into

the outdoors, to benefit from the gifts of nature in it’s tranquility, away from the demands of everyday life? Alfresco living brings vitality, enthusiasm, pleasure and is well known to improve self esteem, to lower stress and fatigue.

18/06/2022

New garden and endless swimming pool finished this spring. Pool only 2.5m x 7m but has a swimjet allowing for endless swimming against the Hydrostar counter current . Perfect where space is limited. Clients are thrilled with the pool and having first class demonstration, next time it will be my turn 😂 pool by #

A few photos of the cottage gardens coming to life. If you remember a 450T crane a few months ago needed to plant 6T mag...
27/05/2022

A few photos of the cottage gardens coming to life. If you remember a 450T crane a few months ago needed to plant 6T magnificent beech trees by the wonderful . Here they are ! framing the entrance of drive. Perennials planted end of March this year and already beautiful displays of colour. Cottage garden favourites of alliums, lupins, delphiniums paeonies in photo and lots more to come. Old gnarly pears 🍐 showing signs of fruit along with quince tree. Hornbeam and privet hedging all settled in. Climbing roses yet to grow, can’t wait for next year display. How exciting !!

Indoor - outdoor living by the swimming pool, who would’ve thought we are in suburban Teddington! Now with the warmer w...
20/04/2022

Indoor - outdoor living by the swimming pool, who would’ve thought we are in suburban Teddington! Now with the warmer weather seeing where gaps need filling with ad hoc plants but thrilled to see the final results of complete new garden and pool design and build of swimming pool by Design by Katja ! Endless Swimming pool is only 2.5m x 7m long but in proportion to the size of the garden giving the impression it is much larger. Cannot wait another 6 weeks until the perennials will knit together and with more height and a splash of colour. Loving the cork oak trees and waiting for the funky paulownia’s to come into leaf. Still a few tweaks and additions to complete. More importantly, thrilled to see the client fully embracing alfresco living !!!

18/03/2022

The garden was completely taken to bare bones with a complete design and build to compliment the new contemporary extension of the house. A narrow garden spanning the width of the property with awkward shapes framed by big hornbeam pillars and pleached trees for the dining area. Evergreen multistem Osmanthus trees give all year round interest views from the kitchen. Evergreen yew hedging to conceal part rendered boundary wall and borrowing views of the landscape from behind the property. Cannot wait for all the trees and plants to come into leaf as this will transform the garden.

A snippet of various trees bought in Holland for various clients. I visit directly growers from North to South of Hollan...
22/10/2021

A snippet of various trees bought in Holland for various clients. I visit directly growers from North to South of Holland and in Belgium in search of the right tree to meet the brief of a client and within their budget. Here are a lot of big mature trees which will arrive in U.K. in 6 artic lorries. I also look for trees that are in smaller more affordable budgets. Visiting growers directly allows me to assess myself the health of the tree and ensure that these trees fit nicely within the design. Every day is a learning curve as you come across specimens you may not know and realise you can use tree that you do know of in a different form. Visiting growers both in Europe is a privilege and helps me to provide an overall service to my clients. It’s important to always go with an open mind, many times I surprise myself finding alternative trees what I originally had in mind. I come back with excitement and inspiration for existing and future clients.

Such a pleasure to be back in Pistoia to see the suppliers face to face after such a long time. Early rise for hours wal...
10/10/2021

Such a pleasure to be back in Pistoia to see the suppliers face to face after such a long time. Early rise for hours walking in fields finding ideal specimens for different sites and requirements. A few photos of specimens chosen for several clients … from multistem Osmmanthus, Arbutus unedo, 10m high !! Magnolia grandiflora - massive 14m Eucalyptus rostrata (an evergreen which will happy in a protected London Property), Quercus suber’s, Cinamumum camphora’s ranging from 3m to 8m. Great evergreen choices for protected areas to replace the Quercus family as we cannot import from the continent. Didn’t complete my shopping list - next trip Holland and Belgium for deciduous large specimens .

Sometimes less is more and play with purely form and structure with intent to convey a serene landscape. This Belgian pr...
02/09/2021

Sometimes less is more and play with purely form and structure with intent to convey a serene landscape. This Belgian project is a timeless garden that has has required minimal maintenance (other than the lawns !) and remains still as stunning when it grew to maturity

An elegant wooden diving board nestled in purposeful raised beds, brings loads of fun and play to the pool. The diving b...
29/08/2021

An elegant wooden diving board nestled in purposeful raised beds, brings loads of fun and play to the pool. The diving board is manufactured in Ipee exotic hard wood that ages beautifully in time.

Building a new garden can be very costly (especially when a swimming pool is involved !) and I try to encourage clients ...
25/08/2021

Building a new garden can be very costly (especially when a swimming pool is involved !) and I try to encourage clients to see the complete vision at design stage and work with the available budget over a period of a few years. The natural outdoor pool was built by completing in early 2020. Landscaping by Skidmores. Boundary fencing hedging in 2021 and all the beds formation ready to be planted this winter. Looking forward to summer 2022 to see the final finished results.

Beautiful planting can be enhanced by garden ornaments to give structure throughout the year Photography by ...
23/08/2021

Beautiful planting can be enhanced by garden ornaments to give structure throughout the year Photography by

Mediterranean style planting in London courtyard. Drought tolerant plants that cope with heat radiating from the buildin...
23/08/2021

Mediterranean style planting in London courtyard. Drought tolerant plants that cope with heat radiating from the building and surrounding stone. Mostly evergreen planting to give year round structure and interest. Photography by a dear friend and extremely talented

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