DESIGN OF DRY STONE FEATURES

Architectural drawing of a stone wall with an arched opening, tool and pencil on a wooden table.

From vision to stone

I design and create bespoke dry stone features that can add structure, character and interest to a garden. From larger architectural features such as seating areas, dry stone garden buildings and water features, to smaller details incorporated into walls and paving, each element can be carefully considered as part of the wider garden.

This includes:

  • Bespoke dry stone seating areas

  • Dry stone garden buildings & structures

  • Decorative stone paving & flooring

  • Radial and geometric stone patterns

  • Dry stone pitching to banks

  • Planting pockets within pitched banks

  • Geometric panels within walls

  • Dry stone water features

  • Water features integrated into ponds & pondless streams

  • Stand-alone stone features

  • Wall niches for planting or lighting

  • Built-in bee bowls & wildlife features

  • Decorative stone details

  • Bespoke features designed around the garden

A stone wall made of stacked flat stones with a large mossy rock on top, surrounded by green foliage and plants in a garden.
A stone wall with a wooden sign, greenery, and tents in the background at an outdoor event.

Designed to bring a garden to life

Good design is often found in the details. I enjoy working with the natural qualities of stone to create features that not only serve a purpose, but add character and interest to the wider garden. A seating area can become a destination within the landscape, while carefully laid stone patterns can draw the eye towards a particular feature or create a striking surface within a path, seating area or around a water feature.

I work with a number of different quarries to source the right stone for each project. The choice of geological stone can have a significant effect on the character of a feature, from the colours and textures of limestone, slate, sandstone and gritstone to the way each material can be shaped, laid and combined. Different stones can also be used together to create contrast, helping individual elements stand out within the garden.

Dry stone pitching can be used on sloping or banked areas to provide structural support while creating pockets for planting, allowing a practical solution to become an attractive feature in its own right. Within walls, geometric panels, small planting niches, lighting recesses or features such as bee bowls can break up larger areas and introduce smaller points of interest.

I also design features around water, whether that is a stand-alone dry stone water feature, a feature incorporated into a pond or a natural-looking element within a pondless stream.

The aim is to create gardens with character, structure and a sense of permanence — using well-considered stone features to bring the landscape to life and give it a timeless quality

Stacked beige stone bricks forming a low wall outside in a garden or yard, with scattered stones and a measuring tool nearby.
A stone wall with a rusted metal water fountain in front, flowing into a rectangular basin, set on a green lawn.
Stonework wall under construction with large stones stacked and construction tools around, surrounding a yard with trees and houses in the background.
A gravel pathway leading to a wooden gate, flanked by stone and brick walls, surrounded by greenery and trees, with a parked car visible beyond the gate.