A lush garden in which many hands, complementary styles and open minds combined in perfect harmony
On any given day, Christine and Craig’s stunning, national award-winning coastal garden and Hamptons-inspired home, located on the Central Coast of NSW, are filled with the joyful sounds of children’s laughter. They and their three children had moved from Sydney, where they had lived in a penthouse apartment, and looked forward to spending more time outdoors as a family. They found, however, that the steep, terraced block — designed to be low maintenance by the previous owners — meant the garden was rarely used.
“We literally had six small squares of grass over three levels,” says Christine, whose dream was a garden that would offer as much lawn space as possible for her children while also incorporating a spa built into an existing timber deck, a pool and a fire pit area.
With a keen eye and a passion for design, Christine knew what she wanted for the garden. Her vision was to transform the outdoor areas into beautiful, functional and connected outdoor spaces the family could enjoy for years to come, while capitalising on the panoramic ocean views. Several friends had mentioned Costata Landscape Design (named for the beautiful, sculptural Angophora costata trees found across the Central Coast) and Christine felt an instant rapport on meeting the owners — landscape designer and horticulturalist, Colin Marchant, and his wife and business partner, Lisette Marchant, a qualified building designer.
“Col recognised that I had done my research. He was really open to listening, even to the fine details,” says Christine. Those fine details included a strong desire for references in the garden to fond family memories.
“I have a beautiful memory as a child of having a cumquat tree in my backyard and my husband also grew up with one at his grandmother’s. And there was a bougainvillea covering the pool shed in our first home together. So, having those familiar elements in our garden was really important to me,” explains Christine.
Col listened and made both plants a feature of the garden. “Col is an artist and a dreamer, Lisette makes it happen,” continues Christine. “They really complement each other, like yin and yang, and the three of us were always on the same page.”
Features of the garden, which has been recognised by both the Building Designers Association of Australia and the Australian Institute of Landscape Designers and Managers, include a gas-heated mineral pool and separate spa, constructed by Mateeba Pools, a fire pit area with a rustic Corten steel fire pit and curved sandstone seat, a large lawn area with a sunken trampoline, and a gravity-defying set of cantilevered, floating concrete steps, designed by Lisette, that tie all the elements together.
Plants were carefully selected for foliage, form, texture and colour. Junipers, cycads, magnolias and succulents happily mingle with camellias, a climbing fig creeper and exotic clumping grasses in an eclectic yet beautifully balanced mix. “A garden like this has to look great every day, all-year-round, so foliage contrast and impact is critical,” explains Col.
“The garden has evolved so much in the past 12 months or so,” adds Christine. “It’s a wonderful, dynamic space for our family. The kids play on the trampoline, swim in the pool and toast marshmallows with us around the fire pit. There’s a lot of laughter in the yard and it’s exactly the outcome we wanted, in every way.”
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