This elegant yet relaxed modern formal design ensures beautiful views from the home
No matter where you are inside this home, you feel a strong sense of connection to the outside spaces that embrace it. That’s because there is an enticing view of a beautifully landscaped courtyard or flourishing, plant-filled garden space from every window and door.
Of modern formal design, the individual courtyards and outdoor spaces, all of which were built by Bayon Gardens, feature carefully considered planting schemes which emphasise evergreen species and plants which produce white blooms. Careful consideration was also given to choosing trees which would eventually grow to provide shade in summer and allow natural light to flood the home in winter.
The front garden layout is formal yet the planting is quite relaxed. Along the fence line, a row of Magnolia grandiflora ‘Teddy Bear’ magnolias soften the change in ground level, their large white flowers, which appear in summer and last through to autumn, picking up on the colour of the fencing. Ornamental pears were used as feature trees, while ficus was used to form an informal hedge in front of the house. These plantings are complemented by low English box hedging, which borders the pathways and adds definition to the design.
In the large rear courtyard, the feature tree is a deciduous Manchurian pear while more compact-growing, shade-tolerant deciduous Japanese maples were selected for the kitchen courtyard and small rear courtyard. In the feature gardens around the swimming pool there are crab apple trees, and along the boundary adjacent to the pool is a row of weeping lily pillies, which soften the landscape and screen the fence. Other key plantings include Portuguese laurel which can be found next to the pool and in the kitchen courtyard.
Travertine was used for the steps and pathways in the front garden and for the paved areas around the pool. The look is soft and natural and is offset by the lush green of the lawn and copious plantings. The light colour of the classic travertine also works in harmony with the exterior colours of the home.
Frameless glass pool fencing makes the rear garden feel as open and spacious as possible and allows uninterrupted views from the home to the pool and landscaped spaces. The exterior and pool lighting make the area a joy to use at night, an experience enhanced by the uplighting of feature trees to create focal points.
Written by Karen Booth
Photography by Patrick Redmond
Originally from Backyard and Garden Design Ideas magazine Volume 12 Issue 2
