Private and picture-perfect, this alfresco oasis meets all the lifestyle needs of a design-conscious family
Although a well-designed garden will look as if its creation was virtually effortless, considerable knowledge is required to create a garden that is practical and aesthetically pleasing. For the best result — a garden that will suit your family’s needs now and in the future — you need the guidance of a landscape designer.
Georgia Harper, a multi-award-winning designer and founder of Georgia Harper Landscape Design, brought her extensive experience to bear when designing this lush and inviting, family-friendly garden that frames a new home in a seaside suburb.
“The clients love good design and were keen to make the most of the sprawling block, but they wanted to do so without going overboard on costs,” says Georgia. “Their wish list included a swimming pool, tennis court, lawn play area, veggie patch and some fruit trees. And because the property sits on a corner block at a busy intersection, ensuring privacy was also high on the list.
“This was a new-home build, so most of the budget was earmarked for the house, but the clients were smart and started the landscape design process as early as possible. This allowed us to exploit opportunities to combine or time some of the works to achieve maximum cost efficiency.”
Georgia chose a simplified, clean palette to help control costs. “This naturally lent itself to a Mid Century Modern style, which the clients loved,” says Georgia. “The result is a stylish garden that ticks every box on their wish list without going over the top on costs. But to achieve all that we did on a strict budget, we had to think outside the box a bit and get creative with construction methods and materials.
“With this in mind, we chose to do all the paving, paths and pool surrounds in plain white concrete with a burnished finish. This was an extremely cost-effective way to cover all the paving required across the block and it ties in beautifully with the pool design. To add some detail, clean saw-cuts were placed randomly along paths and in paved areas.”
The pool, constructed by The Pool Company, was kept simple and its interior finished in a white render with a mother-of-pearl-look glass mosaic waterline tile. Given the size of the block, Georgia was able to keep the lawn area within the pool zone, ensuring the whole space feels much more open.
The rapidly growing native evergreen Waterhousea floribunda was used to screen the perimeter. Adds Georgia, “Along the main road side, we needed to provide privacy so we planted an olive grove. This gives the area dense coverage while adding the opportunity to enjoy olives picked fresh from the tree. A line of Acer platanoides ‘Crimson Sentry’ flank the path between the tennis court and house, providing a second privacy layer for the home’s living zones.”
Thanks to Georgia’s thoughtful design and The Garden Company’s construction expertise, this alfresco oasis is picture-perfect — and it didn’t break the bank.
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