Articles by Kate Burt

Whether you’re planning a complete overhaul of your outdoor space or just hoping to improve it with some strategic tweaks, a great layout is key. An effective site plan addresses function and practicality while including all the nature you want to pac…

When designer Simon Orchard first visited this tricky-shaped Hampshire yard, it was badly overgrown and — despite being large — felt smaller than its size. “It was scrappy and not particularly well laid out,” Orchard says, describing how dense foliage…

This couple, one of whom runs her food business from home, were bursting out of their compact London row house. And with baby No. 2 on the way, they needed a skillful update that would give them more elbow room and entertaining space. They found inter…

Designer Terrey Maufe created a beautiful landscape on the outskirts of Bristol, England, that works hard for the family that lives there. Not only does the multilevel space provide variety, but it’s also wonderful to admire from inside the house and …

When the owner of this suburban home bought a plot of land at the end of his yard, he called in designer Simon Orchard to turn the two separate areas into one seamless outdoor space. The homeowner liked the backyard he had, which was also fairly estab…

The design requirements of the average front yard may seem restrictive, yet the possibilities for creating a beautiful, relaxing or wildlife-attracting outdoor space are plentiful — and that’s where landscaping expertise comes in.To get the balance be…

This triangular yard is attached to a house in London’s Notting Hill neighborhood that had belonged to the same owner for about 50 years. It had a Victorian feel and a lot of established plants and trees. “There were a number of really beautiful plant…

Whether it’s a bathroom you can control from your phone or a responsive shower head, motion-sensor faucet, defogging mirror, automatic lighting, audiovisual technology or smart toilet, there’s a whole range of tech-assisted improvements you can make t…

Whether you own a small yard, have a patio that needs more foliage or live in a rented property, there are plenty of reasons you might want to consider growing some or all of your trees in pots rather than in the ground. Not only can you buy specific …

You might have to do a double take before believing this leafy, secluded and lingerworthy outdoor space really is a front yard. While it’s particularly large, as well as shielded by high brick walls on two sides, the space still has the usual function…