New Projects at ARD

Sydney Landscape Design Projects

BRONTE

Coastal Sanctuary for Entertaining and Relaxation

For this charming coastal home, we reimagined the backyard to create a bespoke outdoor retreat designed for both social gatherings and tranquil moments of relaxation. The focal point is a beautifully sculpted semi-circular concrete bench, seamlessly blending form and function, offering ample seating and comfort with plush cushions and throw pillows. This inviting gathering space is designed to encourage year-round outdoor living, whether you're hosting friends and family or simply unwinding in the fresh air.

At the heart of the garden is the ultimate entertainer’s setup. A sleek, built-in barbecue station and a custom plunge spa provide the perfect combination of luxury and convenience. The plunge spa, designed in a graceful arch shape, is ideal for smaller gardens, offering enough space for up to six people to enjoy a rejuvenating dip. With a lockable cover and energy-efficient heating, it’s an affordable, year-round addition to this coastal haven.

As the evening sets in and the temperature drops, the central gas fireplace becomes the gathering point. Its warmth and ambiance draw everyone together around the fire pit, providing a cozy retreat for evening conversations. The fireplace’s remote-control operation ensures ease of use and comfort for all.

The design embraces a natural, organic aesthetic with crazy-paving underfoot and a free-form stone-clad wall that evokes the relaxed, earthy feel of the coast. The surrounding planting palette enhances the space with coastal, drought-tolerant varieties, including Euphorbia ingens, Howea forsteriana (which we carefully craned into place), Banksia integrifolia, and Sansevieria congo, adding texture, color, and seasonal interest.

View project

→ adamrobinsondesign.com.au

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QUEENS PARK

Sculptural Landscape for a Federation Home

This beautifully restored Federation semi-detached home in Queens Park received a thoughtful landscape transformation that seamlessly blends contemporary design with classic charm. Despite the constraints of limited space, we crafted lush, sculptural garden environments that offer beauty, texture, and interest throughout the year.

In the front garden, texture is the key design element, adding both playfulness and sophistication to the streetscape. Modern touches, such as crisp brass house numbers, a sleek black-painted front gate with brass mesh, and strategically placed outdoor lighting, enhance the home’s street presence while guiding guests along the arrival pathway.

To ensure privacy and intimacy, we introduced a layered planting scheme that includes Dodonaea purpurea and Magnolia Teddy Bear for screening, paired with rusted Corten steel panels that extend the height of the existing brick walls. The Corten steel’s weathered, textured surface offers a striking contrast to the red brick, creating a contemporary backdrop that highlights the surrounding greenery and gives the space a dynamic visual appeal. The varying textures of foliage, from soft greens to deep purples, further enhance the garden’s sense of depth and character.

A standout feature of the front garden is the sculptural Podocarpus cloud tree, complemented by accent plants such as Cephalotaxus harringtonia, Buxus balls, Salvia ‘Santa Barbara’, Lomandra ‘Tanika’, Kalanchoe ‘Silver Spoons’, Alternanthera denata, and Olea europaea. Underfoot, salt and pepper gravel provides a sophisticated, neutral base, with Bluestone batten paving steppers arranged at a 45-degree angle to guide visitors through the space.

The rear garden builds on the themes of texture and thoughtful design, with a custom-built polished concrete bench offering flexible, stylish seating. Despite its compact size, the space has been elevated with the introduction of change-of-level steps that create privacy and a sense of enclosure, making it feel like a true outdoor room. The wraparound seating is both functional and visually striking, becoming a key feature as soon as you step outside.

The warmth of bamboo screening, paired with bougainvillea trained along stainless steel cables, creates an inviting, immersive atmosphere. As with the front garden, Corten steel is used for a raised retaining wall, offering a clean, modern edge while housing a charcoal barbecue on a dedicated shelf. A lush carpet of Star Jasmine drapes over the back wall, its fragrant blooms enhancing the sensory experience and creating a seamless connection between the interior and exterior spaces.

As evening falls, the firepit becomes the focal point of the rear garden, drawing people together as the temperature cools. We also introduced a custom solution for the air conditioning unit, encasing it in a sleek box made from rusted Corten steel and brass mesh, which integrates beautifully into the overall design.

View project

→ adamrobinsondesign.com.au

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