Wow factor

This sublime garden design takes art into the wild

-  kylie baracz 

Garden sculptures usually take the form of a delicate water fountain or friendly gnome, but this epic garden design takes outdoor art to the next level. Featuring a 16m, three-dimensional, sculptural ribbon, the underused side of this Vaucluse home was transformed into an artistic marvel.

“At my first meeting with the client, it was made very clear that ‘wow factor’ was the catch phrase for this project,” says Steve Warner, principal landscape designer at OUTHOUSE Design. “A key question for me was to understand what happy moment in the life of the client stood out.”

That happy moment was the recent wedding of the client’s daughter and the music that was played on the day. This beautiful selection of music became the inspiration Steve and his team needed to transform the once overgrown side garden.

By creating a sound wave using the music, we could create a piece of sculpture that has meaning as well as function,” says Steve. “The lower parts of the sound wave create the seating option — providing a quiet space for reflection or chatting — and from here the shape morphs into an organic skeletal structure that modulates along the boundary and then out, creating a connection between the upper and lower garden.”