NATURE STUDY

House and garden meld seamlessly into one in this Sydney property owned by interiors-savvy landscaping professionals.

- CHRIS PEARSON

Like images in iconic 3D View-Masters that have captivated children over the years, this home in the eastern suburbs provides special moments of visual discovery. With inside and outside intimately entwined, the house reveals corners of garden from every room. Striking courtyard vignettes and teasing glimpses through slivers of glazing lead to the ultimate spectacle, a soaring expanse of sky and greenery enjoyed from the open plan. When the owners of this light-filled house are Matt Cantwell and Rochelle Abood of the aptly named Secret Gardens little wonder they have a garden that beckons to be explored.

Their new house, designed by Spicer Architecture, includes two wings, with living areas in one and bedrooms in the other, separated by two double-storey voids, one with a courtyard where sculptural succulents reach for the sky. While the home is owned by landscape professionals, there's nothing earthbound in the uplifting feeling it generates. It's a brilliant architectural solution to a long, svelte block - which, although 70 metres long, is just nine metres wide.

When the couple bought the property in 2010 for themselves and their three children, now all teenagers, they were drawn to the site, within cooee of the beach but also quiet and secluded. "Most neighbouring houses are behind mature trees, so it is green and private," says Rochelle. And that slim site, running west-east, would offer generous northern light along one side and plentiful possibilities for getting close to nature. "Most people focus on the house when house hunting, but, given what we do for a living, we prioritise the outdoor spaces and their potential connection to the house," she says. "We felt the site's unconventional aspects provided a great opportunity to create a home full of surprises."