Habitus Living: What’s the site context?
Nicola Camera: Built in the late 1800s, the original colonial residence is embedded within the heritage fabric of Woollahra. Set within expansive gardens, the home opens onto numerous outdoor settings – each curated with a distinct plant palette to reflect unique areas of the garden. Mature trees on the property offer a balance between filtered privacy and a sense of seclusion, whilst the elevated nature of the site allows for views through the borrowed landscape towards Sydney’s Eastern suburbs and the Harbour.
What can you tell us about the clients and their brief?
The gardens have had many adaptations over the years. Some planting was established and thriving, including a copse of Lagerstroemia indica ‘Natchez’ framing the entry stairs, Viburnum and Murraya hedges surrounding the pebble courtyard and mature trees along the boundary. However, much of the internal planting had to be reviewed and changed. It was important to let more light into the home and essentially allow the site to breathe.
With a keen appreciation of the garden, our clients wished for a stronger connection between the internal and external spaces – including views of the garden from within their home and opportunities to experience both intimate and open spaces within the garden. Access throughout the property was reviewed and the pool surrounds redesigned to allow for flexible use of the space and greater functionality. While this was important for practical reasons, it was essential for the outdoor spaces and materials to sit peacefully in the garden, respecting the heritage of the site.
What are the key material and functional moves?
With a young family, the outdoor areas required greater functionality, especially an underutilised area surrounding the existing pool. Incorporating new sandstone paving and low sandstone block walls to reference the original architecture of the home and materials included in a 2008 renovation by Luigi Roselli Architects; the pool surrounds were reimagined to offer an elegant and functional setting for relaxation and entertaining. The low sandstone block wall doubles as casual seating, running the length of the pool, with sun lounges and a garden bench seat set within the surrounding garden to provide for flexible use of the space. Mid-layer canopies were introduced in the garden, including Cyathea cooperi, Camellia japonica and Lagerstroemia indica ‘Tuscarora’, to provide scale against the existing mature trees on site.
The addition of three outdoor mirrors on the dining terrace reference architectural details of the home, whilst allowing views of the garden to be enjoyed from within the internal living and entertaining areas of the home. The reflected views amplify the scale and depth of the garden, whilst capturing seasonal changes throughout the year – including Cotinus coggygria ‘Grace’, Cercis canadensis ‘Forest Pansy’ and Anemone hybrida ‘Honorine Jobert’ to name a few.
Related: Spirit Level is another charming garden
What are your favourite parts or moments in the design?
The outdoor dining terrace takes in views across the Mediterranean-style courtyard (including plantings of Echium fastuosum ‘Duxfield Blue’, Westringia fruticosa ‘Jervis Gem’, Buxus microphylla ‘Japonica’ and Gardenia augusta ‘Florida’) towards the lawn, capturing a sense of the gardens’ scale and diversity. Mature trees within the property, combined with the borrowed landscape of the surrounding street scape enhance this sense of depth, whilst creating a subtle feeling of enclosure and privacy.
There are various ‘gardens’ within this property; by opening sightlines you gain a sense of how the different gardens overlap and how one outdoor space connects to the next, whilst still maintaining a sense of discovery as you journey through the site. A carefully curated plant palette adds seasonal change throughout the year while complementing both the heritage and inherent beauty of the site.
