Before and after: This garden has been transformed into an elegant urban jungle

The space blurs the boundaries between indoor and outdoor living to exhibit a tiled garden party paradise

Garden and kitchen after a renovation project
(Image credit: Quorn Stone)

The allure of indoor/outdoor living remains ever-sought after this season – and we've just found a home that epitomizes the trend. Hidden amid St Albans – only a short hop from London – this urban home was once a conventional property with a traditional kitchen and a modest garden that originally felt separate from the property. 

The home was a black canvas for Architect Sheldon Peever and tile-masters Quorn Stone, who transformed the ordinary home into a monochromatic city sanctuary whose stylish aesthetic flows between its interior and exterior spaces. Naturally, this unrecognizable transformation has taken our urban gardening ideas to new heights. 

The space before renovation  

Traditional kitchen before renovation

(Image credit: Quorn Stone)

Prior to the makeover, the home exhibited two separated kitchen and garden areas that felt disjointed. While the kitchen (above) showcased a quaint-country aura, the room was unavoidably dark and only sought light from the small window. 

Garden and white conservatory in an urban garden

(Image credit: Quorn Stone)

Beyond the kitchen, there was a timber conservatory that housed the dining table and allowed for more sunlight through its surrounding glass panes. Through the small conservatory doors, the garden was a modest urban plot with hints of greenery along the white-painted wall that previously separated the kitchen. 

Enter Quorn Stone and Sheldon Peever, whose modern garden ideas transformed this ordinary scheme into a highly stylized garden with no boundaries. 

The space after renovation 

Light-filled kitchen with bi-folding doors

(Image credit: Quorn Stone)

Showcasing an effortless flow between the kitchen and garden area, the newly renovated space exemplifies indoor/outdoor living through its rolling tiles that continue through the stylish bi-folding doors. Perhaps the most notable feature from the transformation, the glass doors have replaced the solid wall to remove the boundary between the spaces and drench the kitchen in sunlight. 

Bi-folding door in a modern kitchen

(Image credit: Quorn Stone)

The transition between the two spaces is similarly showcased through the neutral-hued tiles that seamlessly continue through the doors into the garden. The tiled zone acts as a chic terrace that is used as an outdoor living room area – filled with modern wicker furniture and a glass-topped coffee table for those late-summer aperitifs. Plus, for more contemporary decor inspiration, our guide to the best garden furniture is another great place to begin. 

Wicker garden furniture on cream colored tiles

(Image credit: Quorn Stone)

At the opposite end of the terrace, the former conservatory dining room is now an outdoor eatery, complete with a large wooden table and chairs – and surrounded by a vibrant flower patch that interrupts the tiled layout. 

Outdoor dining area with wooden table

(Image credit: Quorn Stone)

Beyond the terrace, the garden opens up to a verdant patch that kisses the space in green hues and stands as a contrast to the cool-toned tiles. The grassy area uses pockets of flowers to act as kaleidoscopic jewels that further inject color into the modern scheme. The area is crowned with climbing hydrangeas that encompass the fence and compliments the tile's subtle tones.  

Outdoor living area with grass and white flowers

(Image credit: Quorn Stone)

This project showcases seamless outdoor to indoor living at its very best. We have a feeling this trend is going to stick around for many seasons to come.  

Megan Slack

Megan is the News and Trends Editor at Homes & Gardens. She first joined Future Plc as a News Writer across their interiors titles, including Livingetc and Real Homes. As the News Editor, she often focuses on emerging microtrends, well-being stories, and celebrity-focused pieces.


Before joining Future, Megan worked as a News Explainer at The Telegraph, following her MA in International Journalism at the University of Leeds. During her BA in English Literature and Creative Writing, she gained writing experience in the US whilst studying in New York. Megan also focused on travel writing during her time living in Paris, where she produced content for a French travel site.