Paddington Terrace Project
Landscape Design
Simple and impressive ideas can literally change your life. The best gardens are those that make people happy and comfortable. When asked to transform a dull outdoor space into a luxurious haven, as a landscape designer, my team and I tackle issues of comfort and utility every day and it is for the benefit of our client and making them happy that we strive for constantly.
Our client’s brief for this project was to create an experiential wonderland and the feeling of being in a resort. Not only did we nail the brief by constructing a series of creative solutions to promote usable space, but we also made sure not to compromise on comfort or aesthetic appeal. The result speaks for itself, as we’ve given our clients a contemporary resort-at-home - somewhere visually stunning to enjoy their time-out.
We craned in mature well-sized Kentia Palms into the site to sit above the beautiful dark pool. They superbly set the tone for the resort-style, pool zone and proportionally anchored the large home within the garden. The large, renovated Victorian terrace needed some large green elements within the landscape to match-up and unify both perspectively.
Mondo grass was set within sections of paving, allowing this space to read like a garden, breaking up the hardscape with living plants. This area also functions as a pool breakout area for lounging in the sun or enjoying everything about the outdoor shower.
The built environment of this space reminds me of Morocccan architecture – a medina - in the way the space encloses, creating a sheltered garden, turning in on itself and away from the outside world. When entering the garden you feel like you’ve stumbled into someone’s personal paradise. The towering walls were drenched in green, by lining them in a tension mesh and encouraging evergreen vines to provide a year round vertical mass of greenlife with seasonal flowering. The Cordylines are tall and narrow, adding to this abundant green without taking up too much precious space whilst the Rhipsalis further softens the hardscape with its cascading form.
Every garden needs a destination point for gathering, lounging and conversation. This one is perched above the pool and catches the sunshine whilst the dwarf date palms provide a sense of enclosure or a ceiling and connects to the luxury of this garden’s resort vibe.
The generous u-shaped seating allows for maximum seating for entertaining around the firepit or the family to relax and revel in being able to stretch out and take refuge from the world. Every level has a balcony that is dressed with plants which allows for a green vista out from all rear windows of the home. The kitchen balcony is filled with edibles for easy access while cooking or entertaining.
I adore this garden and love that we’ve achieved a ‘rock star retreat’ for our client, it’s a unique oasis that mixes luxury, style and glamour along with irresistible laidback chic.
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Architect – Jason Gibney
Project Builder – To The Mil
Interiors – Dylan Farrell Design
Landscape Construction – Ivory Gardens
View the project in full
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Romantic Gardens Are Making A Comeback
This elegant home in Sydney’s eastern suburbs was a collaborative project between architect and interior designer.