Modernist Style

The owners of this 1960’s modernist home engaged us to design a garden to be built in conjunction with a major renovation of their home. The main requirements were for a contemporary, structured garden with clean lines and a very simple planting palette to reflect the architectural intent of the modernist house and its contemporary upgrade.

The design focused on the redevelopment of the front terrace garden to the north of the house and immediately adjacent the main upper and lower living areas and has consolidated the lower terrace as the main garden area, leaving a residual upper terrace as a more formal entrance garden. A small private courtyard garden adjacent to the master bedroom was also incorporated and a utility area with a small vegetable patch located at the rear of the house.

All of the garden areas were integrated thematically through the use of similar materials, colour palette, plant species and style. The garden spaces are managed so that they are revealed independently and sequentially upon arrival and as one moves through the garden. Light coloured retained garden beds and paving coordinate with the exterior house colour and also contrast well with the planting palette. The predominantly green on green planting style focused on the use of contrasting textures and heights rather than flower colour to develop a formal layered effect.

Completion March 2009