At the edge of a small village, 40 km away from the capital, lies a country family house that stands to make a statement amidst its neighbors. With an oak forest as its backyard, a natural wood facade, a vegetated roof and edgy architecture the house echoes vibes reminiscent of Nordic living principles. Simplicity and appreciation of nature are the spine concepts of this erected habitat. Its inhabitants are easy minded people who find beauty in every moment and detail of their lives with their children and their surroundings.

The architectural principles of hygge guided the making of this house into a simple comfortable layout hugged and shielded by natural materials whose quality only grows more beautifully over time. Yet this house needed a garden to accompany its ideology. This is the story of how this garden was conceived.

The main principle for the design of this garden was to relate it to its context, to allow for it to be part of its surrounding instead of being an intruding island and take the role as an incubator of life, adding richness and harmonizing with the existing forest. The inhabitants of the house wanted to have a close connection with their surrounding landscape, from everything that is buzzing, purring and singing in their immediate vicinity. Therefore, underneath the main visible design of the garden, there lies plenty of hidden shelters from a bee house, to insect hotel, to cat basket and hedgehog log pile, as all living creatures are invited to live in this garden and be taken care of.

To design to live with nature, good planning and approach was needed. There is always a contrast between practical needs of the dwellers and making room for nature to take its place. It was a challenge we were glad to take on. The concept of the garden would emerge as the place where wilderness, informality and well-being meet. And so it was reflected in the selection of plant species. On the other hand, for practical reasons, it was necessary to place a lawn in the garden. A green carpet, strictly shaped and sized to the essential needs of the family. This artificial space that is carefully maintained would be in clear contrast to the rest of the garden, which leads its own life.

The garden is varied, rich in species, every year there is a significant change. Native meadow flowers are mixed with bred types, coexisting in harmony and balance. The diversity of the eplanting is guided by the location of the house itself. The front garden is sunny, full of flowers, while the other parts are inspired by forest undergrowth. Movement in the garden is solved by means of a network of footpaths, which bend the garden in the form of curves and lines, softened with tufts of perennials or meadow flowers.

A beautiful patch of wooden titles make up the entry to this humbling place. Since the house does not have a garage, this entrance was to be both a parking and utility space. Choosing grey concrete for this use could have been a practical option but would seem to be harsh in comparison to the rest of the garden, therefore, recycled railway wood sleepers were proposed. Despite their limited durability, they harmonize with the cladding of the house and overall vibe of the site. They bedazzle every visitor with the natural look they provide to the atmosphere of the place.

The garden in the vivid photos were taken at its two years. Her wild and informal mood deepens and intensifies over time. We are very enthusiastic to see it grow with the joy and care of its owners. The garden has a lot of love and is given back to her as an equilibrium relationship between nature and humans.