Inside Out

Our multi-level Bondi garden, an award-winner and one of the projects we are proudest of, was featured in the June 2017 issue of Inside Out.

The brief was to make the most of a small garden footprint in one of Sydney’s most energetic suburbs. Our answer was to work with the levels rather than against them, layering the space into distinct zones for lounging, entertaining and quiet reflection. From an upper deck where the ocean breeze drifts through, broad steps lead down to a more intimate lower garden.

The jewel of the rear garden is a sleek pool, made for long, lazy afternoons and warm Sydney nights. We wrapped it in lush, layered planting for privacy, added a custom timber pergola for shade, and finished the poolside with a timber-clad outdoor shower and built-in seating, a calm and considered spot for a post-swim lounge or a cocktail at dusk.

The planting leans into the coastal character of Bondi, Tamarama and Bronte: resilient greenery that thrives in sea air and sandy soils, with sculptural Agave, soft Liriope groundcover and swaying Miscanthus grasses, lifted by tropical Bird of Paradise and Philodendron for a relaxed, resort-like feel.