– I sat inside looking out at a snow-covered garden. Suddenly, a small creative spark appeared that I hadn’t felt in a long time.

She was burned out, and what she usually drew energy from was gone. Everything was empty, both the garden and her mind. But then the thought of transforming the garden slowly emerged.

– I became so happy to feel some of the creativity, which is such a big part of me, come back. The drawing board was brought out, and I immediately felt that this was exactly the project I needed now.

Her husband Lars quickly understood how important this would become, and they got started as soon as the snow disappeared.

– I dreamed of a place that could give me calm and replenishment, not something that demanded more from me than simply being.

Two circles that formed the foundation of the entire garden were visualized with rope on the lawn and around the swing set. The grass was dug up, fabric was laid, and the area was filled with a thick layer of gravel.

The choice fell on a fine, light gravel – small stones that not only function as a base, but can also be shaped into exciting patterns. A gravel garden inspired by Japanese garden design that Lene likes so much.

– In Japanese gardens, the gravel is the sea, and the green island is land.

In such gardens, it is common to rake patterns in the gravel, circles and waves that are meant to represent movement in the water.

– When I rake, I create illusions of waves hitting the island or the stones. Raking the gravel gives me a unique calm and presence.

She is also fascinated by how the expression can constantly change.

– It becomes my form of land art. It is transient. You shape it, and can do it again, over and over.

In the middle of the gravel, a green island emerged, built up with soil and sedum, and with a water feature that gives a calm, pleasant sound.

– It was important to keep it simple, few but important elements.

What was already there was kept in the island – an old globe thuja and a Japanese maple.

Slate slabs were laid directly on top of the gravel as an organic path through the gravel garden.

– We just placed them where we wanted to walk. There is no complicated groundwork, they lie directly on top.

The path leads past the island and a Japanese lantern, and further to the next circle. A lovely seating area at the bottom of the garden that connects the different zones.

In just four weeks, the area was transformed, with good help from the whole family.

Along the way, ideas came little by little. An old Asian stone trough and an old stone mill, a Finn find, suddenly became its own bed in the middle of the lawn.

– It is often the small things that set the rest in motion.

The garden gained several functions, including an outdoor shower they had long wanted.

The inspiration is taken from Japanese zen gardens, but Lene has not been concerned with rules.

– I do not feel tied to any fixed answer. What I feel fits here is allowed to be part of it.

A round portal – a Moongate – became the third circular element in the garden.

– It has done an incredible amount for the expression.

There is something special about walking through a portal, a transition from one place to another. The portal is designed by herself and built from simple materials.

– Most things are actually quite simple, if you just dare to try.

Slate and gravel are repeated throughout the garden, both as surfaces, paths and around beds and pots.

– I like the calm expression, and that it is easy to maintain.

Much of the materials are reused.

– I have found unique things on Finn, collected stone from Lars’ family farm and used vintage treasures I already had.

At the back of the house, there was for a long time an area they preferred to walk past.

– It was just weeds, a bit of the downside.

Here, a new project gradually started, a calm, organic back garden where the materials and inspiration get to play the main role.

Large slate slabs in light Oppdal slate were laid as an organic path. Some of the slabs are extra large and give the path a sculptural expression.

– The slate slabs fit perfectly with the path I had envisioned.

Between the slabs, moss was placed, hand-positioned piece by piece.

– When I work with such details, I am truly in the flow zone.

The moss also came in a somewhat unexpected way.

– I cycled past a roundabout where they were throwing away a lot of moss. I asked if I could have it.

Later, she and Lars returned with a trailer.

– We stood in the middle of the roundabout picking moss. Quite a sight, she laughs.

The result is a soft transition of slate, gravel and moss – a path that feels both natural and well worked.

– It has become our perfect, imperfect path.

Today, the garden has become what she hoped for, a place for calm, creativity and a place where the whole family thrives.

The transformation of the garden has also led her further along new paths. First, she began sharing both garden and reuse joy on Instagram under @leneaanesrud, which has received a good response and several articles in magazines. She is now also in the start-up phase of her own small garden design business, Sanselige Rom.

– Imagine that something so good could come out of such a heavy time.

– This project has given me so much that I wanted to take the joy of gardening one step further. I would like to help more people create the same magical feeling we have when we step out into our garden.

For Lene, it started as a need to find her way back to herself and her creativity. The garden became exactly what she needed – and more. It has gained its own story and become a part of hers.