By Barber Design
Location: Rostill Court, Toorak
Client: Private
Scope: Landscape and Pool Design
Architect: BG Architecture
Completed: 2009
Regardless of the small nature of the site, particularly the garden, the clients requested strong variation in the landscape. The site was exposed to neighbours, making privacy paramount.
Consisting of arcs, rakes and angles the design is a reflection of the building outline. The diverse selection of materials and loose plant palate is used as a softener - both to complement the contemporary architecture while also providing sensory interest for the client.
The natural levels of this urban block meant Barber had to create different zones that relate directly to different parts of the dwelling. An assorted range of materials was used, these included: cobble sets, recycled timber, sawn blue stone, polished concrete, perforated steel and timber decking.
A patchwork at ground level becomes arcs of mass planted groundcover. This reflects the roofline of the dwelling and softens the hard landscape. It also provides adequate space for furniture, cooking and entertaining. The result is a private, tactile, seasonal garden full of fragrance and immaculate detailing.
Photography: Barber Design
Barber is a Melbourne-based Landscape Architecture Practice. Founded in 2002 by Sam Barber, the studio is renowned for its thoughtful, gentle and pragmatic approach to landscape design.
Refined yet congenial, Sam and his multi-disciplinary team connect clients and the architecture they inhabit to the natural world through crafted experiences grounded in wellbeing, balance and ease.
Barber’s spaces are characterised by a commitment to provenance, proportion and cohesion, where architecture and landscaping are a seamless and symbiotic expression. By listening and learning deeply, to both the site and the client, Barber creates intuitive and connective spaces, that balance rigour with joy and evolve naturally rather than forcefully.
Barber works with both private clients and architects and is well-versed in large, multi-residential and public realm projects, as well as private residences large and small.
We see every project as an opportunity to contribute positively and generously to our client’s way of life.