1 . FIRE PIT “ I love the glow of the fire pit ,” says the owner , Allison , “ and of the water feature at night ! The two-level deck and all of the pathways of the garden are such a spectacular design and layout . The plants have grown and filled it all in so beautifully . It ’ s really enchanting !” The fireplace is topped with a mulch of glass beads that flames pass through . The timber deck has a white wood wash on it , and the L-shaped banquette seating with crisp white seat cushions make this amphitheatre look so inviting .
2 . DECKING The decking not only provides a pathway for navigating around the garden but also pops up to provide backrests to invite people to lounge in the landscape . Allison says , “ I still get a thrill every time I show someone the part of the pathway that lifts up and turns into a little lounge recliner .” There are three classic vinylstrapped sun lounges nestled in the water to keep the girls feeling cool . The water wall has been given a hammered finish so the water seems to shimmer as it glides over its surface .
3 . WATER FEATURE I argued with contractors and concreters to give me the darkest green they possibly could for the concrete water feature ’ s slab floor . For any of you who want to try this at home , the darker the color of your concrete , the more reflective and luxurious the water looks . We mixed green oxide into the concrete not only to make the water feature ’ s floor reflective but also to make it appear to be the floor of the garden . A planting of native Australian wetland grass , Isolepsis nodosa , looks so lush running along the length of the water channel .
4 . POPS OF COLOR The hot-pink-legged spine of the glass-topped table mimics the pink veins of the Alocasia leaves . This super contemporary dining setting , with Kartell clear Perspex chairs , was chosen so you can see right through the furniture so as not to block the view of the water wall feature . The clear glass table settings also add to the liquid-look styling of the beautiful , watery dining room .
5 . WALLPAPERING In front of the wallpapered garage wall is a large Cordyline australis ( Red Star ) and clever decking that pops up as back supports that allow you to lounge in the landscape . The grass that you lounge on is very low maintenance as it is synthetic . There are many excellent synthetic turfs on the market these days which look like the real deal and feel so soft against the skin . So you can get really comfortable lying on it with a couple of brightly colored cushions .
Wallpapering the ugly garage wall was my idea of taking the indoors outside in what I like to call “ luxe-scaping .” Allison adds , “ If someone would have told me before [ hand ] that [ Jamie ] was going to put a big pink floral mural on the side of my garage , I probably would have grabbed them and said , ‘ NOOOOO !’ And now I completely LOVE it !”
6 . THE DAYBED I was so drawn to the existing avocado tree that I decided to custom build a beautiful four poster daybed around it , complete with curtain rails , white mattresses , and throw cushions . We left the tree completely undisturbed as we built the daybed around its trunk . It looks like the tree sprouted through the mattress . Anyone who lies on the bed can enjoy its fruit-laden canopy .
“ We have a lot of color in our home , and we wanted the outside ‘ room ’ to be an extension of what was going on inside ,” - Lilyan .
THE VISION “ We wanted lots of color and comfortable , cozy places to sit and relax . And we definitely wanted to be able to entertain ,” says Lilyan . Robin adds , “ We all have many friends and enjoy having parties together . As different as we all are , our friends all get along well . We cook a lot . We definitely wanted a vegetable garden and some privacy from our neighbors . We are all environmentally aware and wanted to make sure that the plants used were drought tolerant and easily sustainable . I enjoy taking quiet time ( meditating ) out there . It is very peaceful and , like the house , has great energy now .”
And for home owner Allison , the new garden has had a huge impact : “ My bedroom looks out onto the outdoor room , so I now keep my curtains open pretty much all the time during daylight hours . That alone is a different experience for me . I didn ’ t even realize how dark my room was so much of the time . In general , I feel happier and […] so proud that I have a garden that I want to share with others .”
America ’ s favorite design expert , Jamie Durie , shares his ideas for sustainable , healthy living , showing how to create a beautifully designed , completely edible garden , whether you live in an apartment or a house . Published by Harper Collins .
Jamiedurie . com
International award winning designer & author Jamie Durie started his design practice 19 years ago in 1998 . Since then he & his team at Durie Design have received over 33 international design awards .
Words : Jamie Durie Photography & Styling : Tonya Mccahon
Decking – The Greenpeace Good Wood Guide ( goodwoodguide . org . au ) will help you make an informed , environmentally responsible decision when buying wood for your decking .
Kartell transparent plastic furniture and accessories available through Space Furniture - spacefurniture . com . au / brands / kartell
Outdoor Fabrics : The Atrium Collection from Warwick Fabrics - warwick . com . au / our-collections _ detail
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