Australian_House_&_Garden_2016_11

MY IDEAL HOUSE HG

AUSTRALIAN HOUSE & GARDEN | 1

Outside

INTEREST

hile in the throes of drawing

up her competition-winning

My Ideal House design,

architect Madeleine Blanchfield was

not only thinking about designing a

liveable and affordable family home,

she had a vision for the garden too.

“Bringingviewsoftheoutdoorsinto

the home is one of the major concepts

of my design,” she says. “The house

isveryparedbackstylistically,soI

always imagined the garden providing

a contrast to its simplicity.”

As she sketched, Madeleine added

curved garden beds and a generous open

lawn stretching to foliage-covered

fences. The plantings would ideally be

hardy and easy to maintain, and a

rainwater tank and irrigation system

would be integrated into the design.

“Because it has large, north-facing glass

doors, the garden will naturally feel like

it’s part of the living space,” she says.

There’s a barbecue and alfresco dining

area at the rear and the lawn space will

serve as an extension of the living zone.

The plantings will also take into

account the climate at the location

of the build, in Sydney’s south-west, and

will be guided by the Camden Council

tree and landscape species list.

H&G’s My Ideal House competition,

runinconjunctionwithMirvac,set

down a challenge to Australia’s design

communitytocomeupwithanew

blueprint for today’s family home.

Madeleine’s competition-winning,

flexible home has street-facing

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