"I want to live in the world my children want to live in" — these are the words with which the LEVEL UP Scandinavian garden project began. Each detail here was crafted in collaboration with children's dreams, their wishes, and their vision.
The family purchased a plot of land with a house, centuries-old trees, and complex terrain with an elevation difference of up to 10 meters and access to a reservoir. The L.BURO team's task is to completely reimagine everyday living spaces. We spent time with the children playing their 'life scenarios' to see how they imagine their perfect garden. Then we aligned these images with the Customer’s request. This is how the concept for the garden "The World of Adults Through the Eyes of Children" came to be.
The inspiration came through the approach of Andrew van Egmond, a Dutch landscape architect who almost always works with old sites acquired by new owners. He takes the best that the area has to offer and takes care not to harm nature while creating a new environment. We adhered to the same principle. We transformed large old stones that needed to be preserved into installations through artistic cutting. The green roof of the gazebo brought to life a childhood dream of a "flying forest."
Understanding that the trees on the site were old and won't last forever, we applied our "gradual replacement" technology, planting young trees alongside the old ones, which would eventually grow and maintain the feel of a mature forest.
The area's hilly terrain influenced the arrangement of the pedestrian descents and became a self-sufficient element of garden design. The paths smoothly trace the natural contours of the slopes, and the descent to the water is accessible even with a stroller. We meticulously restored the area to preserve the forest spirit of the site for decades to come. We seamlessly wove the functional areas into the site landscape with clean, concise lines.
The "Floating House" proved to be a significant aspect of the adult world as seen by children. It is located on a steep slope above the water, away from the main routes. You can fish there or even go on an overnight hiking trip. We remade an old gazebo in a new material: the metal frame as the body, and the frameless walls made of glass. The roof is adorned with a layer of greenery that cascades elegantly onto the transparent walls. The apparent simplicity is a complex engineering solution that serves as ceiling insulation.
One of the unexpected solutions is a decorative garden on a steep slope with an automatic irrigation system. It was placed along ramps made of Corten frames. Going down to the water, you can easily pick ripe berries or gather fresh herbs for the table. Meanwhile, the angles of its chamfers appear sharp but are actually rounded, ensuring they won't harm delicate human skin.
The plant layer replicates the forest canopy: periwinkle, alchemilla, pachysandra, ferns. All chosen to honor local landscape code. We tested five types of plants on the gazebo roof. The creeping charlie won: it totally covered the roof and "cascaded" downwards, forming living drapes that turned the gazebo into a cherished family hangout.
Here, everything is subordinated to a child's dream, which has been successfully come true in the world of adults: a heated playhouse hovers above the landscape, spacious swings are hidden in the forest, and a gazebo with sliding glass walls and a green roof blurs the boundaries between the interior and the garden.
