Floating stairs and custom features set this garden apart from the rest.
When Luke Widdicombe of Stunning Australian Landscapes met with the owners of this newly-built home, Carolyn and Corbin, they presented him with a photo that encapsulated their vision for the front garden — and a request to create a space that would complement the home’s distinctive architecture.
“I would describe the facade of the home as Japandi, a fusion of traditional, simple Japanese style and modern Scandinavian design, which incorporates burnished concrete stairs and other concrete elements,” says Luke. “They wanted the materials used for the garden’s structural elements — the stairs, retaining wall and mailbox — to match the exterior of the house, in particular, the feature wall cladding.”
A key component of the project was the creation of the floating steps that flank the driveway and lead down from the footpath to the front door. “Floating concrete stairs are not commonly seen in gardens. They require great precision and are time-intensive to build, but the Stunning construction team rose to the challenge to deliver the outcome we wanted for the homeowners,” says Luke.
“The burnished concrete stairs and the concrete mailbox would be my favourite elements. To make them and achieve such a high standard of finish, we had to learn new skills, which is just one reason why we are so proud of this job. I’m also very pleased with how the plants we installed really complement the hard surfaces surrounding the facade of the home. This includes the concrete sleepers used for the retaining wall and the recycled concrete stepping stones.”
In selecting the plants, Luke considered the owners’ request for low maintenance and the garden’s north-facing aspect, which dictated the use of shade-tolerant species. Just some of the plants used include Casuarina glauca, planted on top of the concrete retaining wall; Doryanthes excelsa, to give height to a low-planted garden bed; and Trachelospermum jasminoides, also known as star jasmine, used throughout the garden as a groundcover.
As this is a front garden, lighting was essential for aesthetic and safety reasons. “Warm-coloured garden lights were used throughout and cool-white LED strips placed beneath each step riser to light the shadowlines, making them easy to navigate and a striking design feature,” says Luke.
During construction, the Stunning team encountered a lot of hard sandstone and ironstone. This needed to be hammered out using large machines so that walls could be constructed and stairs set to the desired heights. Despite the challenges posed by the solid rock, Luke says: “The project ran extremely smoothly and thanks to our amazing clients for giving us the opportunity to bring their vision for the garden to life.”
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