OPPOSITEWhite-
floweringpetunias
andliriopecontrast
beautifullywiththelush
greenerysurrounding
thecourtyard.
LEFTIndoorplants
strengthenthe
connectionbetweenthe
interior and the garden.W
henMichelAdolphe
wantedtorevampthe
outdoorlivingareasof
hisCastorBayhome
onAuckland’sNorth
Shorehewaskeento
recreatetheatmosphereofMauritius,theisland
intheIndianOceanwherehewasborn.But
howtofinda landscapedesignerwhowould
understandtheuniqueflavourofhisbirthplace?
Aftercontactinglandscapedesignandbuild
practiceBranchéLandscapesona friend’s
recommendation,Michelwasdelightedto
discoverthatmanagingdirectorandhead
designerArnaudDauratwasborninMauritius.
“Mywife,Tania,andI bothliketotravelto
tropicallocations,”saysMichel.“Beingfrom
Mauritius,I wantedtorecreatea littlepieceof
paradisehereathome.KnowingthatArnaud
wasalsooriginallyfromMauritius,I knewhe
wouldunderstandthe brief better than anyone.”
THEBRIEF
Thecouplehaveownedtheir500-square-metre
propertyfor 10 yearsand,alongwiththeirtwo
teenageddaughters,CourtneyandLeticia,love
itsproximitytothebeachandconnectionwith
theoutdoors.Afterrenovatingtheirhome“to
createa lighter,morebeachyfeel”theywanted
theoutdoorlivingspacestoalsoreflect this
contemporarybeachsidevibe.
“OurbrieftoBranchéwasfora tropical
oasisthatwouldblendwithmyestablished
English-style garden and allow us to
sitoutdoorswithcompleteprivacyand
tranquillity,”saysMichel.“AndI needed
a fencethatwouldkeepourweeshih-tzu-
poodle,Coby,onthepropertywhilealsoacting
asa featurerather than an eyesore.”THESITE
Therewereseveralotherchallengesforthe
landscapeteam.“Theexistinggardenwas
mostlyanopenlawnona steepgradient,
withdifferentlevelsanda mismatchof
differentplantswithlittlestructure,”Arnaud
explains.“Itwasalsoexposedtotheroadand
pedestriansaswellasbeingslightlywindy.”
Takinghiscuesfromthehouserenovation,
whichhadimprovedtheconnectionsbetween
indoorsandout,thedesignerdecidedtodo
thesamewiththegarden.Hesettowork
designinganopenspaceforoutdoorliving
aroundthefrontoftheresidence,withwide
stepsleadingtoa layeredgardenabove.
Ratherthanfightthesteepnessofthesite,
Arnauddecidedtoembracethegradient
anduseit todramaticeffect.Hedesigneda
cascadinggardenwitha sweepingpalette of
colours,texturesandstructures.
“Belowthetallpalms,I designeda lush
tropicalgardeninoneofoursignature‘chic
tropical’styles,witha combinationofhotand
coldcoloursthatmergewiththemanicured,
structuredgardenbelow,”Arnaudsays.
“AhedgeofMicheliagracipesprovides
manageableprivacyfromthestreetaswell
as flowering wallpaper in the background.”yhg| 143G