3D Cork Tile
HKD 150.00
Projects
Narron Road
Typically inner city Melbourne, our Naroon Road project encapsulates the essence of our famous lane way cafe culture. This was at the core of the brief presented by Andrew and Emma, where they wanted their back yard to be a contemporary setting and a place of casual, yet sophisticated entertaining, weekend family time and a place for the children to wind down and relax with their friends. I can recall Emma asking for "an inner city cafe style, urban, industrial, warehouse, sharp (yet rustic), funky space with a killer pool, Pizza Oven, BBQ, Large deck, Fire pit area and that the large claret ash must be protected at all costs!"
The resulting garden is all of the above and to support this design ethos we have used a palette of materials that are the traditional building blocks of Melbourne. Bluestone has been used in and the around the above ground pool, recycled clinker bricks have been selected to match the Californian bungalow home's facade, black steel arbours with recycled timber infill’s ground the pool from the kitchen vista, chunky polished concrete slabs enhance the industrial feel of the space while the warmth of the yellow stringy bark timber deck (stained with a charcoal tint) creates a seamless flow from the rear extension while protecting the tree roots below.
The large amount of hard structure was softened by boundary hedges of slender weaver bamboo that provide the perfect wispy green backdrop. Meanwhile Arthropodiums, creeping rosemary, espaliered lemons and limes, ground level plantings of black mondo grass, cliveas and selected Liriope’s and the often forgotten Japanese plumb yews enhances the green living architecture the space required.
The swimming pool, sits out of the ground as we couldn't dig due to the large basalt floaters that lay 300mm below the surface. This offered us a great opportunity to create a stunning piece of garden architecture from every angle and also allowed us to minimise the pool fencing. The frameless glass pool fencing has been pinned to the edge of the wrap over deck to allow seamless views across the yard, whilst the floating pool entry deck is backed by a staggered series of 150 x 150mm rough swan cypress timber soldiers which also acts as an attractive balustrading. The water colour is timeless and sophisticated while the glass mosaic wet edge and spa adds another textural dimension to the space.
Large format timber steps lead down to the newly created fire conversation pit, whilst the edge of the deck becomes the perfect height to sit on, removing the need for outdoor seating. A lump studio rusted corten fire bowl sits centrally on a series of bluestone random steppers which have been softened with a planting of Thymus serpyllum in-between.
The garden was built to perfection by Tyson Owen and his team at Signature Landscapes where the attention to detail is of the highest level. Although simple and clean, the garden's hard structures were extremely technical and executed impeccably.
A unique and challenging brief from wonderful clients has pushed us to evolve our design skills and push the envelope. The end result displays a clever use of levels, structures, architecture, materials, and lush plantings which has made Naroon Road a beautiful space to be in. It’s a garden with a soul and it’s a garden we will always feel strongly connected to.
