This trash-to-lushness story begins in the small town of Kyritz, Germany, when two creatives, Laura Muthesius and Nora Eisermann, decide to turn a historic apartment building into holiday rental units. The two performed their magic on the interiors (see their artful transformation of one of the flats over on Remodelista), but what to do with the backyard, which was unloved and unused, other than as a place to store trash bins?
The simple answer: add more plants and, in particular, more flowers. Aside from a hydrangea, the courtyard was devoid of color. After moving the garbage cans indoors to their own storage area and covering the hardscaping—uneven bricks and cobblestones laid out in a somewhat garish pattern—with a layer of gravel, Laura and Nora turned their attention to planting. More hydrangeas. A quince tree. Lots of oregano. American mint, anise hyssop, an aronia tree, climbing roses, lavender, sage, and potted olive trees.
“We wanted a wild-looking garden that has a Mediterranean feeling. We were a bit scared not to have enough light for the herbs like oregano and lavender, as it is not sunny all day in the backyard but it seems to be just enough as they are all growing so well,” they share. The plants were the costliest part of the landscape design but also “the best investment, as they just grow more and more beautiful each year.”
After moving in furniture to create outdoor living and dining spaces, and adding an outdoor kitchen (the chicest we’ve seen!), the once neglected courtyard is now their “secret little garden.” Let’s take a tour, and be sure to scroll to the end to see the space in its original state, complete with trash bins.
Photography courtesy of Our Food Stories. For rental details, go here.
Above: Laura and Nora furnished the outdoor living area with pieces from Tine K Home’s bamboo collection.
Above: “The ivy and wild vine that climb up the backside of the building is just so so charming and makes you feel like you are in a secret little garden.”
Above: They supplemented the plantings with plants in terra-cotta pots.
Above: Laura and Nora are the founders of Our Food Stories, a popular popular food blog, so, of course, an outdoor kitchen would be a must. Theirs is from Atoll’s Rimo line. (Unfortunately, Atoll is no longer in business.)
Above: The pair created a dining space in a corner of the garden. The table and chairs are from Fermob’s Bistro collection.
Above: The view from the dining space to the lounge area.
Above: Instead of uneven cobblestones and brick, a layer of gravel now covers the courtyard for a classic, unfussy look.
Before
Above: The sad backyard before Laura and Nora’s redesign. Peep the garbage bins on the left.
Above: Overgrown and underutilized.
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