Australian House & Garden 51(^38) | Capture the summer’s
highlights with a camera you
can take absolutely everywhere.
Cybershot DSC-TX30, $349,
Sony; http://www.sony.com.au.
(^46) | Low-line windows don’t compromise on privacy
and a ord views of garden beds, pool or lawn. Paired
with bifold or retractable doors, the connection to the
outdoors is heightened.
(^39) | “Consider replacing
old paths and steps
with large irregular-
shaped stepping stones.
So en the hard edges
with a groundcover
- two of my favourites
are Zoisya tenufolia,
Dichondra repens or
Pratia pendunculata.”
(^40) | “The right furniture
can transform the
look of your space
and increase the time
you spend there.”
(^41) | “Sculpture looks
great in a garden. It
doesn’t have to be
expensive but the
scale and materials
have to be right for
the intended purpose
and complement
the materials and
fi nishes, including
the plantscape.”
(^44) | Connect your kitchen and outdoor zone by
replacing traditional windows with bifolds to create
a servery. Pull in some stools and a bench and
you have your very own bar. Warning: guests
may never want to leave!
(^45) | If you have space at the bottom of the garden,
consider a freestanding pavilion or cabana. It’s bound
to become a favourite haunt. backyardroom.com.au.
(^47) | Take pattern outside and perk
up your paving. Try a narrow, lineal
tile or latch onto recycled-timber
o cuts and have them laid in a
beautiful parquetry manner.
(^48) | Control the amount of sun reaching
the facade of your home with an awning.
An external shade can block up to 80
per cent of the direct heatload on a
window, keeping the inside of your
home signifi cantly cooler. They’re easy
to retrofi t too. >
43 | Aside from creating views from every room, a
central courtyard makes a safe play zone for kids,
with the added benefit of shelter from the wind.
Combining a gable roof with a generous
eave allows for careful control of sunlight,
says architect Chema Bould, a director
at Bower Architecture. “In summer the
cantilevered terrace, which hovers above
the gentle hills of the courtyard, becomes
a shady extension of the living space
and greatly improves its useability.”
RIGHT OUT BACK bowerarchitecture.com.au.
Spruce up your garden
for summer and beyond
with these ideas from
landscape designer Matt
Cantwell, director of
Secret Gardens.
42
H&G SUMMER SORTED