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Garden Tour: A Coastal Home With an Easy-Care Outdoor Lifestyle
This house has relaxed and family-friendly outdoor areas designed for enjoyment rather than maintenance
“The Australian dream of owning a home with a large plot of lawn is long gone and Australians are moving towards smarter, more beautiful and lower-maintenance gardens,” says Brett Robinson of landscape architecture practice Acre. “We’re pushing them in that direction as well.” That’s certainly the case at this coastal home in Blairgowrie in Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula. Here, the owners Daryl and Sophie Powell can relax and enjoy their garden with family and friends rather than spending weekends mowing, weeding and watering it.
The Powells wanted a retreat-like, family-friendly space, and the modern architecture and context of the site established a direction for the landscape. Raw materials are used throughout, while vibrant and eye-catching native plants soften the hard architectural lines, forging a connection with the surrounding environment.
The Powells wanted a retreat-like, family-friendly space, and the modern architecture and context of the site established a direction for the landscape. Raw materials are used throughout, while vibrant and eye-catching native plants soften the hard architectural lines, forging a connection with the surrounding environment.
“We wanted to blur the lines between the home and the greater landscape, so we planted out the nature strip to complement the native plants, and planted coastal banksia around the boundary early on to help with the established feel on completion of the build,” says Robinson.
The site also influenced the materials palette and the selection of natural materials that have been left to weather over time.
The site also influenced the materials palette and the selection of natural materials that have been left to weather over time.
“We designed and fabricated the mailbox to float above the garden,” says Robinson. “Something so large could have felt heavy due to its size, but its floating nature and timber lining marry it with the home’s facade.”
An enclosed green area is adjacent to the entrance of the house and in front of the clients’ master bedroom, where large pivoting screens open and close for privacy, light and ventilation. “This is a space for the clients to play with the dog or enjoy their morning coffee in the sun,” says Robinson.
The architecture of the house comprises timber and concrete, which influenced the selection of plants. “We simplified the plants to a soft grey-and-green palette designed to look smart against the off-form concrete wall at the entrance,” says Robinson.
With a minimal colour palette, Robinson focused on foliage contrast. This includes silver princess (Eucalyptus caesia), coast spear grass (Austrostipa stipoides), cushion bush (Leucophyta fiddlesticks) and green wave (Casuarina glauca).
An internal courtyard at the entrance is designed to create a sense of grandeur when entering the home.
A timber boardwalk steps through the garden, which features more species such as little con (Lomandra confertifolia) and Buxus sempervirens.
The house has both interior and exterior living, dining and kitchen spaces. Each are open plan and designed to flow into one another.
Acre designed the outdoor living, dining and kitchen areas. “From day one we had involvement with the builder, architect and interior architects, which meant ideas could be bounced off one another. This had a massive impact on the important blurring of lines between internal and external spaces,” says Robinson.
Baia post dining table and Zudu dining chairs by Mamagreen: rock&stone
Baia post dining table and Zudu dining chairs by Mamagreen: rock&stone
This can be seen in the outdoor kitchen that runs smoothly into the indoor kitchen. Dekton benchtops are used inside and out, custom-designed cabinets with a two-pack polyurethane finish echo each other in the exterior and interior, windows slide open for easy service and a small bar fridge is integrated under the external benchtop, making it a highly functional and multipurpose space.
Decking extends from the internal spaces around the house. Large blackbutt decking boards help give the home a coastal feel and are closely aligned with the size of the internal floorboards.
Zudu lounges with Baia coffee table by Mamagreen: rock&stone
The deck wraps around the swimming pool and spa, which are enclosed by a glass fence. “The pool and spa are decorative outdoor water features for most of the year so they have to look good,” says Robinson. “We focused on materials and details to make it a point of interest to gaze upon from the home.”
Light grey mosaic-glass tiles in the swimming pool make for a natural setting, and three large, black powder-coated spouts at the end of the pool recirculate the water.
The wall alongside the pool and spa is clad in custom spilt-faced bluestone tiles and provides structure to the lush garden bed behind it.
Raising the spa above the swimming pool created a wet edge. Bluestone tiles used externally provide a high-end finish, and black mosaic-glass tiles internally create the sense of a reflection pond.
Tiles and bluestone: Better Exteriors; spa, swimming pool and decking: Made Build
Tiles and bluestone: Better Exteriors; spa, swimming pool and decking: Made Build
Deck edges and steps become bench seats, allowing the residents, their family and friends to use the landscape in varied and spontaneous ways.
“We always like to activate the spaces and make reasons to move around the garden,” says Robinson. “This draws you out into the landscape to enjoy different light aspects during the day and get real usage out of your square meterage.”
The custom-designed fire bowl is another example of activating space. “We designed this fire bowl as we feel there is a gap in the market for contemporary bowls. We had it fabricated to be the central piece for an informal seating area,” says Robinson. People can sit on the decking edges and steps and on the off-form concrete bench at the end of the garden to enjoy the warmth.
The couple welcomed a new addition to their family soon after the landscaping was completed. “The landscaping came just in time and has become a tranquil sanctuary for them to enjoy the early days of raising a child,” says Robinson. “The block feels very private and allows the clients to open up the whole house to the elements, with vital vistas leading to many different outdoor rooms.”
Tell us
What do you love most about the design of this garden and home? Share your thoughts in the Comments, save the images for inspiration, like this story and join the conversation.
More
Missed last week’s Houzz Tour? Read about the flood-damaged Brisbane home that was renovated and raised out of harm’s way
Tell us
What do you love most about the design of this garden and home? Share your thoughts in the Comments, save the images for inspiration, like this story and join the conversation.
More
Missed last week’s Houzz Tour? Read about the flood-damaged Brisbane home that was renovated and raised out of harm’s way
Location: Blairgowrie, Victoria
Size: A 310-square-metre home with four bedrooms and two bathrooms on an 815-square-metre site
Landscape architect: Acre
Architect: Planned Living Architects
Interior architect: Studio Tom
Builder: Made Build
Daryl and Sophie built their house on one of the few remaining blocks of land in Blairgowrie. It is beside a gravel road leading to the beach and the Powells wanted to make their new house look and feel established in its coastal setting as soon as possible.