50 sqm and L-shaped, enveloping a contemporary penthouse apartment atop a river wharf, this roof garden is completely secluded & sheltered, situated above River Thames near Tower Bridge. Neglected for aeons, we began a voyage to entirely reinvent the terrace, supported by an artistic, & highly gracious client. A quintet of diverse zones enable all-year-round usage, demarcated by changes in surface, planting & lighting.

Having a powder-coating foundry available for our custom planters, we further coated the frames of the glazed balustrade & various existing elements & features. With a palette of mauve & purple, the turquoise floating troughs contrast the screens & tree planters. Other details such as rainpipes & the exit door were coloured turquoise to create a consistent style.

A living wall ascends a Western Red Cedar frame, with Jasmine underplanted by lush Ferns & Hosta. A telescopic folding ladder leads to the reclaimed upper den, making the most of the scenic location, with vistas of Tower Bridge, immersed in Lavenders, where perching is on soft pouffes matching the roof garden in purple & turquoise covers.

A modern sculpture by artist Julian Wild features in an alcove above the seating area. The spherical see-through art is made from recycled copper tubes, projecting dramatic silhouettes onto the partition behind it. The copper-hued pots mimic this form in texture, colour & shape. Personal artefacts feature throughout the terrace, acculturating the space with homeliness.

Tall trees provide the main focal points, presented by the graceful Nandina, the native Silver Birch & an Olive tree. While the Nandina & Olive are evergreen, the Birch trunks add winter focus with a milky structure. To contrast our bespoke planters & harmonise with the sculpture, we planted round, grooved, copper pots for the Bamboo & Birch adding diversity in colour, shape & texture.

Repurposing existing slim tubs perched across the parapet leading to the seating, we power-coated them turquoise to match the scheme, planted with culinary herbs & floated atop LED strip lights. Sage, Rosemary, Oregano, Hyssop, Thyme, Chives & Tarragon benefit our client’s adjoining kitchen - she’s a keen & generous gourmet. Lavenders on the upper den draw many pollinators, perfuming the roof garden & used for dry flowers.

The deck features an angular step down from the living room into the rooftop, detailed in sandstone & hardwood, floating on a light strip. The boards’ direction leads towards the sculpture, changing into sandstone at an angle past the L-shape progression. Recessed turquoise troughs float above LED strip lights, planted with Verbena framing the Shard, Daylilies & Elephant's ears. An Olive tree is homed in a tapered tree planter inside a brick bay. The planter has a circular aperture & LED bottom light.

Designed for a sociable, artistic yet very busy client (a lady city executive), the roof garden maximises space, adds colour & invigorating foliage, edibility, art, sophistication, seating & inventive lighting. The indoor-outdoor connection continues internally, where furnishings match the roof garden’s tones, with vistas through the kitchen window & living room glass. This roof garden design is a highly sculptural, architectural, social-ready, warm paradise for the client to relish whether viewed indoors or savoured alfresco.

Photos by Lucy Fitter & Amir Schlezinger.