Eastern Suburbs Formal

The brief for this intimate Eastern Suburbs garden was clear: protect the direct Sydney Harbour view, work with the existing architecture, and create something that felt considered and generous despite the constraints of the site. The design responds directly to the building it belongs to. Custom copper archways were introduced to break up the taller hedging and add vertical interest, their material deliberately chosen to echo the copper facades already present on the building. A refined planting palette of Buxus balls in varying sizes, Gardenias, Liriope and Native Violets layers texture and quiet lushness through the space without drawing the eye away from the harbour beyond. The garden operates on two levels. The upper garden is designed to be appreciated from above, its structure and planting forming a composed picture when viewed from the home. Below, a seating courtyard connects to the communal gardens of the building’s lower levels and offers a more intimate experience of the space, where the quality of the paving detail, the planting and the gentle sound of a water feature can be properly appreciated up close. Awarded Gold Medal, Garden Under 50sqm — Australian Institute of Landscape Designers and Managers Awards 2019.Maximising the view was high on the wish list for this small Bellevue Hill garden as well as working in with the existing under cover entertaining area and apartment block communal gardens on the lower levels. We were commissioned to create a courtyard that was stylish yet useable and high impact. Structured copper archways help break up the taller hedging and add a vertical accent and point of interest, tying back into the copper facades already in use on the building. A limited palette of different sized Buxus Balls add drama, interest and a sense of tranquil lushness when combined with the Gardenias, Liriope and Native Violets all without taking away from the view out to the harbour. As well as being a beautiful place to appreciate from the higher in the garden the lower seating courtyard is the perfect space to relax into the garden and appreciate the high level of detail in the planting and paving whilst listening to the gentle bubble of the water feature.