KARINE NIEMAN GARDEN DESIGN PORTFOLIO
TABLE OF CONTENTS
01 ABOUT ME
05 FAMILY-FRIENDLY GARDEN
02 EDUCATION BACKGROUND
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MODERN SMALL BACKYARD
03 WORK EXPERIENCE
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SERENE OASIS
04 BIODIVERSITY GARDEN
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COASTAL ITALIAN THEME GARDEN
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ABOUT ME A dedicated and creatively driven professional with a recent Postgraduate in Garden Design, I am now enthusiastically seeking opportunities to gain practical experience in Landscape Architecture. I possess a diverse combination of skills, including digital illustration, design proficiency, and a strong understanding of Administrative Assistance. I am eager for an opportunity to contribute effectively to landscape projects, especially those involving community gardens, public spaces, and practices that incorporate eco-friendly and sustainable elements.
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EDUCATION BACKGROUND
2019 - 2023
2016 - 2017
2013 - 2018
Postgraduate in Garden Design (with Merit) British Academy of Garden Design UK
Scholarship in Design and Multimedia University of Coimbra Portugal
Bachelor's Degree in Design Federal University Of Minas Gerais Brazil
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WORK EXPERIENCE
#Design Project Management #Compelling visual presentations #Mood Boards and Concept Drawings #Imaginative Planting Plans #3D modelling and visual representations #Plant and Horticulture
Salisbury Centre Gardener Volunteer
KN. Creative studio Graphic Designer
Participated in group gardening sessions, contributing to the maintenance of the Centre's gardens while also actively engaging in sustainable gardening practices with a focus on enhancing biodiversity and supporting wildlife.
Remotely working as a freelancer Designer developing illustrations, digital and print design projects in a range of formats, content marketing, social media and web.
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Panoramic illustration with back garden view
BIODIVERSITY GARDEN In this academic garden design project, the focus is on creating a biodiverse and serene environment for a single woman in her forties who is passionate about biodiversity. The challenge lies in the wide, empty site with restrictions on altering existing structures. The proposed solution involves a compact design with diverse planting areas, incorporating trees, shrubs, and wildflowers carefully selected for their benefits to biodiversity. Maintenance is kept manageable through raised beds and low-maintenance plant choices. The main transformation includes replacing asphalt paving with wildlife-friendly gravel and introducing water features like a bird bath and gravel pond. The concept features several elements serving both aesthetic and functional purposes. Essential wildlife shelters such as bird boxes, bug hotels, and log piles are strategically placed, along with White Dutch clover to attract pollinators. Plant choices, such as Eve Price and Vine Lilac, add seasonal interest and beauty. A green roof on the garage shed, energyefficient LED lighting, and natural pest control methods contribute to the overall sustainability and enchanting atmosphere of the garden.
Before and After comparison
Concept drawing, Mood-board and planting selection
Panoramic illustration with front garden view
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FAMILYFRIENDLY GARDEN
This academic project is tailored for an environmentally conscious family seeking a sustainable transformation of their rural property. Facing challenges such as neutral-to-alkaline soil on a former cattle-grazing field, the design integrates classic methods like seed sewing and composting with advanced technology for selfsustainability and a low carbon footprint. The family desires a family-friendly garden with space for sports, a vegetable garden, and an outdoor kitchen. This proposal strategically addresses challenges like harsh winds using wooden railway sleepers. The redesigned shed serves as a garage with solar panels, a water butt, and an irrigation system for an edible garden. The addition of a poultry area and a pond enhances sustainability and wildlife attraction. Outdoor activities, including football and cycling, are accommodated in a partially shaded area with a fire pit. The meadow's path connects the front and backyard, using permeable and natural ground covers. Natural clay bricks are chosen for patios, and the BBQ/dining area, an extension of the house, features a pergola made of reclaimed wood.
Concept Plan
Mood-Board with garden planting and hard landscaping
Descritive landscaping elements
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Back garden
MODERN SMALL BACKYARD In this small garden redesign project, the primary objective is to establish a sense of privacy through a zigzag guideline, creating enclosed yet undiscovered areas. The design emphasizes hardscape over landscape, employing brick walls and timber as main materials to form an integrated unit connecting the decking, water feature, arbour, and seating area. Modernity is achieved through a contrasting colour scheme, with white and wood evoking sophistication and calmness, while bursts of bright cool blue add visual interest. The use of a diagonal grid and large boxwood hedges guides movement within the garden, creating moments of disruption and continuity. Changes in levels along the wooden walkway enhance the perception of space. The walkway, comprising concrete steps and wood decking on different levels, connects the house to the patio and leads to a garden shed. Raised beds, staggered planters, and planting behind seats provide space for crops like salad, tomatoes, beans, and beetroot, with storage areas beneath. A dense evergreen screen at the bottom of the garden ensures privacy and noise reduction. The water feature serves both aesthetic and functional purposes, connecting geometric lines, providing a soothing water sound, and acting as a visual link along a channel-style path beneath the walkway.
Working Plan
Lighting Plan
Planting Plan
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SERENE OASIS This academic project endeavours to convert a spacious area into a harmonious and functional garden, serving as a serene oasis for a retired couple. The use of wooden railway sleepers, sourced by the man of the house due to his affiliation with the railway, is a prominent feature throughout the design. Recognizing the challenge of harsh winds, the garden is strategically planned to provide shelter, utilizing the sleepers both visually and functionally. The design introduces a colourful formal style with tropical planting especially in the backyard, taking advantage of the abundance of railway sleepers the design proposal is a cost-effective solution for paving, planting beds, and seating areas. The wide site is segmented into different rooms: a vegetable garden, strategically placed on the sun-drenched north side, features a compost area, a greenhouse, and a spacious garden shed to support gardening ventures.
Bubble Plan
Planting Plan
Diverse planting, selected for varying maintenance needs, allows for focused gardening efforts. A perennial meadow, strategically positioned for contemplation from windows, breaks up space and hides the seating area. Phillyrea angustifolia hedging and ornamental grasses contribute to the garden's structure and aesthetic. A reflective water feature serves as a tranquil focal point, while an enclosed Japanese garden adds an exotic touch. Lastly, a minimalist pergola corridor connects the front and back garden, framing a fairy statue, with seating areas providing options for relaxation and contemplation. The smaller seating area in the front garden offers shade under a fragrant Mimusops elengi tree, providing a cosy spot for evening gatherings by the fire pit.
Back garden reserved seating area
Proposed Vegetable Garden
Proposed seating area with Perennial Meadow
Concept Plan
Proposed Japanese Garden with Water feature
1:200 @A2
Concept drawing
Working Plan
Planting Plan
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COASTAL ITALIAN THEME GARDEN This academic project focuses on redesigning a garden in the traditional seaside town of Portobello, just 15 minutes from Edinburgh city centre, aiming to capture the coastal charm inspired by the client's Italian roots. The design blends Mediterranean and seaside elements, featuring an outside dining patio, a curvilinear boardwalk made of railway sleepers, and various functional zones such as an intimate bench arbour, a lounge with a hot tub, a garden shed strategically placed for noise reduction, and a fountain providing a tranquil oasis. Marine objects and driftwood add personalized decorative elements, emphasizing movement and guiding the eye. Ground cover with golden gravel and decomposed granite reinforces a coastal feel, complemented by a planting scheme featuring Verbena bonariensis, Stipa tenuissima, Festuca glauca, Golden Hornet trees, Dwarf Blue Palmetto Palm, Calamagrostis Acutiflora, and Sophora microphylla Sun King 'Hilsop.' The paving and lighting design ensure a cohesive and aesthetically pleasing environment, with the deck, boardwalk, and pathway made of carefully cut material, and colourchanging LEDs providing safety and ambience control. The overall goal is to create a sunny garden that offers luxury and relaxation while embracing the coastal and Mediterranean influences.
3d Garden Visualization
1. OUTSIDE DINNING: Attached to the house is the outside dining patio that will provide an intimate, sheltered and comfortable outdoor kitchen and barbecue which makes living outside a practical and enjoyable experience. 2. PAVING: The paving helps to get a sense of unity to the space, and the idea is to bring back the feeling of walking on a beach promenade. The wooden boardwalk starts from the house door traversing into a wave shape to the raised deck, in the middle as if there’s a shortcut, some wooden boards are placed with space between them inviting to the intimate outdoor living that is connected with the house.
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3. BENCH ARBOUR: A comfortable bench in front of the fountain, the perfect place for quiet moments by the sound of running water to enjoy the morning light. 4. LOUGE: Entirely dedicated to entertaining the lounge seating area is positioned to catch the very last moments of sunshine on a warm summer’s evening, it has a hot tube and a minibar.
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5. GARDEN SHED: Taking advantage of the wide length of this garden, the garden shed is relocated to the very end of the garden strategically helping to block out the unwelcome external traffic noise. 6. MARINE OBJECTS: Marine rope around wooden pillars was requested by the client and it’s helping to guide the eye through the garden inviting and emphasizing the idea of movement. Around the deck, edgers or even between the planting beds are composed of marine debris driftwood, pieces of coral and random rusted metal objects found on the shore that will work as decorative elements that help to personalize the space and add interest. 7. FONTAIN: Also next to the deck a new water feature is a wide trough fountain, this block appears to float slightly above a bed of river stones that conceals a reservoir beneath. The gentle sounds the water provided by the tree jets makes on the stones help to create an oasis to relax.
Concept drawing
Planting Plan
KARINE NIEMAN karine@knieman.co.uk