Live On The Edge
Thoughtful design makes the most of a tricky coastal site.
MATT LEACY Director and principal designer, Landart The brief
Living on the coast comes with rewards (glorious ocean views!) and a few challenges. Originally, this rear garden on Sydney’s Northern Beaches had a significant slope, with a 6m fall from back door to boundary edge. It was a difficult to use space with no significant plantings except for a beloved Norfolk Island pine. The owners called on Matt Leacy to design a pool and entertaining area that would lure them from the house into the back garden. The key prerequisite: to protect that pine tree.
The result
The garden is now an enticing social space consisting of an upper lawn and a lower pool level. To add to its pulling power, Matt designed a pool pavilion, which is fully furnished with creature comforts. The result is a feat of engineering and logistics: the pool, for example, sits five metres above natural ground level. Protecting the Norfolk Island pine was also a challenge. “We had to cantilever the pavilion and retaining walls so we didn’t disturb the roots of the tree,” says Matt. “The engineering was complex. But the tree, I’m happy to say, is thriving.”
Designer statement
“We turned a completely unusable disconnected garden into something that is a drawcard and has purpose.”
A The pool pavilion is a light-filled, fully-furnished living space designed for comfort, making it possible to spend an entire day away from the main house, dipping between the pool and sofa. The wire furniture is from Eco Outdoor. B A hot shower is on offer in the pool pavilion. The hanging plant is a tassel fern ( Phlegmariurus sp). C A dining table and glam bathroom are all contained in the poolside pavilion.
LEFT In its previous iteration, the rear garden was under-used largely because it was two storeys lower than the back door. Matt and his colleague Tom Wright entirely reimagined the space, raising the ‘ground level’ by five metres, reducing the difference between the top level to the bottom to just two metres. The old cubby (at left) has gone, replaced with an entirely new pool pavilion the whole family enjoys.
Landart, Manly, NSW; (02) 9199 0680 or www.landart.com.au