FULL OF CHARM
Enclosing this updated Sydney cottage are a pair of inviting gardens connected by texture, colour and intuitive design
A pair of front and rear gardens creates a cohesive green sanctuary for the owners of this Sydney home
For the perfect finishing touch to their newly renovated home, the owners of this house in Sydney’s East wanted an entertainment area with a barbecue, a grassed area for their dogs with privacy and lots of greenery, as well as that seamless transition between indoors and outdoors. The pair turned to Courtney Taylor from Terraneo Landscape Design, who chose sandstone pavers with cottage-style plants fashioned to complement the heritage parts of the home and fuse the contemporary renovation with the outdoors.
The home’s charming period façade features a front door not aligned with the garden gate, so the entry path needed a plan. “I didn’t want to put a 45-degree angle in the path, cut through the garden and break up the space,” says Courtney. He decided on large-format sandstone paving to form a diagonal walk. The slabs were saw-cut to size on site, with six men needed to move them.
Dichondra growing between the slabs softens what could otherwise dominate. The dense ground cover blends into the zoysia no-mow grass. “I really like the look of zoysia and it is fitting for a cottage look,” says Courtney. Diverse species create a casual effect, with westringia and buxus topiary to bring a refined edge that links to the contemporary house renovation.
Pops of vibrant plant colour throughout the year, along with contrasting leaf textures, add to the overall enchantment.
These front and rear gardens are the link between the home’s disparate façades, a heritage front and a modern rear. Podocarpus screening trees, silver-leafed plants and giant bromeliads are used front and back, as is the characterful sandstone. Out the back, the transition between home and garden is eased with an additional sandstone step and a house-width infill of dichondra. The indoor/ outdoor flow is further accentuated by plants flanking the steps and a Scarlett O’Hara bougainvillea trained onto the side fences, all counterbalancing the brick and concrete.
Instead of lawn, the owners wanted a generously proportioned entertainment area, with the striking sandstone an ideal solution. The custom-designed barbecue station built with weathering steel is a feature in itself. A cut-out circle in the higher benchtop houses a coal-burning barbecue, while the lower bench contains a Weber Q barbecue. The station complements its surroundings with its patina harmonious with the backyard’s other tones - silvery grey-green foliage, earth-toned paving and interior brick wall.
More sandstone steps lead to the garage, traversing the slope, mirroring the front path. Native violets grow around the steps, with other shade-loving plants flourishing beneath the mature camellia. These are mostly low-growers, keeping the air space free. This negative space balances the podocarpus screening and the ‘borrowed’ magnolia, yucca and dracaena peering over the neighbour’s fence. “I’m a big fan of negative space,” says Courtney. “It creates depth beneath the camellia where the area is too short for layered planting.”
This careful, considered balance between each of the elements creates a coherent whole. Welcoming out the front and the back, this home invites you to venture out into a verdant oasis. To see more of Courtney’s work, go to terraneo.com.au
“We like how the garden feels connected to our living space indoors, and how green it is” THE OWNERS
“Large-format paving is my preference whenever I can use it – I like the look” COURTNEY TAYLOR, LANDSCAPE DESIGNER