Treat For The Senses

- Karen Booth

Within the garden space, structure is irrefutably significant in embedding a house within its environment. An existing mass of lawn was all that softened this home in the inner-Melbourne suburb of Malvern. The house was positioned on an upward-sloping block on a prominent main road and floated above and completely dominated its surrounds. Jane Jones Landscapes was engaged by the owners to envision a landscape design that would nestle the house within its context and complement its unique architectural features.

Designer Jane Jones approached this task by introducing a series of layered terraces, which have a dual purpose of creating privacy from the street and defining a welcoming entrance route that now meanders around a picturesque reclaimed fountain. The existing brickwork features, including the central circular steps and paved rear, served as the foundations for the design concept. A complementary combination of bluestone ashlar paving, herringbone brickwork, red brick coping and dark-coloured aggregate was laid on the new terrace areas, driveway and planter boxes.