PERFECT HARMONY

A complete garden overhaul helped transform this newly renovated Sydney house into one totally fabulous package.

- Tammy Huynh

Landscape architect Sophie Greive from Think Outside Gardens devised a contemporary garden design to match the recent extension to the rear of the home. Clean lines coupled with a simple but interesting plant palette allow the architecture to shine.

After the owners had completed an architect-designed extension on their 1940s home on Sydney's North Shore, they knew the garden needed to follow suit. “Because the site had been a construction zone, it was a wasteland of rubble and weeds, and the uneven levels in the rear garden made walking around a challenge," says landscape architect Sophie Grieve of Think Outside Gardens, who was engaged to renovate the space.

An informal path of sandstone flagging surrounded by dichondra winds its way around the alfresco area linking it to the rear of the garage.

The owners wanted both front and back gardens redesigned, but contrasting facades called for separate briefs. A "traditional, pretty landscape with seasonal flowering interest" was the plan for the 1940s frontage; with “a low-maintenance design with a balance of hard surfaces and greenery" for the modern pavilion at the rear. Having plenty of areas for their children to play was crucial, as was screening neighbouring houses.

At the rear, Sophie echoed the clean lines and contemporary materials of the extension in her hardscaping choices. An expanse of large-format porcelain tiles flows from the pavilion through to a terrace, accentuating the design and connecting it to the landscape.