2019-05-01 Your Home and Garden

B

orrowingviewsof the

surroundinglandscapeis

anage-olddesigntrick

traditionallyusedinJapanese

gardensthatis nowa feature

ofmanycontemporaryoutdoor

spaces.Theideais toincorporateviewsof

neighbouringfeatures,suchasbeautifultrees,

a mountainorbeach,intothegardendesign,

makingit feellargerand,ofcourse,more

interesting.Unattractive features are cleverly

screenedout.

InMarianneandTerryKayes’MtEden

garden,thistechniquehasbeenusedso

successfullytheoutdoorspacesfeelmorelike

partofa countrygardenthananinner-city

Aucklandplot.Ratherthanboundaryfences,

strategicallyplacedplantinghasbeenusedfor

screening,allowingthegardento feel as if it

extendswellpastitsborders.

“Thisgardenwasaboutengagingwith

thematuretreesbeyondthepropertywhile

screeningoutneighbouringhouses,”explains

landscapedesignerXantheWhiteofXanthe

WhiteDesign(XWD).“Wewantedtocreate

privacyandintimacy,butwithoutputtingin

fences that would cut the garden short visually.”

Byusingplantsinsteadoffencestodefinetheirproperty,

thiscoupleendedupwithlushgreenspacesanda sense

of privacy– allona smallsectioninurbanAuckland

Textby Carol Bucknell. Photographyby Carme Aguayo.

FEATUREGARDEN

Open borders

Thefrontyardis unfenced,too,allowingthe

newlybuilthometositcomfortablyalongside

itsheritageneighbours.“Wewereverykeen

tokeepa connectiontothestreet,”says

Marianne.“Thisalsoaffectedthebriefforthe

housedesign– tallcedarpanelwindowsonthe

streetsideallowa viewrightthroughpartof

thehousetotherear garden (and vice versa),

whichwelove.”

THESITE

Therecentlyretiredcoupleboughttheir

506-square-metrepropertyinlate2014.An

oldcottageonthesiteprovedunworkable

soit wasremovedandreplacedwitha new

three-bedroomhomedesignedbyarchitect

GuyTarrant.Thehouse,whichwasa finalist

inthe 2018 HomeoftheYear awards, was

completedinApril2017.

Lackofprivacyfromtwoneighbouring

homeswasoneofthemajorissuesfortheXWD

teamtocontendwith.Anotherwasthebasalt

rockwhichcoveredmostofthesite,withthe

topsoilveryshallowinparts.However,two

positiveswerethatthebackgardenfaced

north,andthatit droppedsteeplydownto

provide its owners with elevated views.

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