Garden Profile: Urban Retreat

The Design Of This Impressive Alfresco Area Delivers Everything An Outdoor-loving Family Of Six Could Wish For.

- Kylie Jackes

open-air dining

Crucial to the outdoor kitchen’s design was the ability to withstand the elements. “Owners Steve and Sarah wanted it to be completely open, so it had to be as robust as possible,” says designer Rex Hirst of Let’s Talk Kitchens. One weather-shielding technique was to 2-pac both sides of the cabinetry so there were no seams. For this purpose, Dulux Taihape was chosen to complement the restrained grey palette, teamed with brass handles from Pittella. The benchtop and splashback were clad in Zimbabwe black honed granite, sheltered by a powder-coated aluminium canopy overhead.

shades of grey

The tones of the Gloster ‘Grid’ sofa (top), Tribu Illum table and armchairs from Cosh Living (above) elegantly tie in with the raw look of the concrete finishes. Rather than compete for attention, the restrained palette allows the spiky poa Eskdale grass to pop.

FIVE YEARS AGO, when Melbourne couple Sarah and Steve bought their Edwardian home in a leafy suburb 10 kilometres east of the city, one of the big attractions was the vast 2500 square metre block. “It had a huge backyard with a tennis court and hotchpotch of sheds and a granny flat, so we saw the potential to transform it into a really functional outdoor space,” says Steve, who works in finance. “Rather than trying to replicate the period features of the original home, we wanted an entirely different look at the back, which made the most of natural light and had a connection with the outdoors.”