WELL CONNECTED

This luxuriant garden flows with absolute ease, from the new entertaining space to the renovated pool and beyond

Australians have always loved the outdoor lifestyle and the expression of that has become more sophisticated over time. Today, all new homes feature an alfresco entertaining area which will, in all probability, incorporate an outdoor kitchen. Or at the very least, a barbecue or woodfired oven. And every home or garden renovation project will include, as a priority, an alfresco entertaining space if one doesn't already exist.

The goal of this project, designed by Dean Herald of Rolling Stone Landscapes, was to take an existing landscape and give the family a lifestyle upgrade. "The brief was to develop an outdoor entertaining space with good connection to the existing elements of the home and swimming pool. This was to include a well-thought-out covered cooking space and dining area," says Dean.

Renovating the pool, which sat next to where the new alfresco entertaining area was to be built, was also on the agenda, as was improving the green spaces around all the new and existing garden elements.

Dean's design for the alfreso entertaining space, the focal point of which is the custom outdoor kitchen, is contemporary with concrete and steel elements bringing just a touch of the industrial. This is tempered by the use of timber to add visual warmth.

"The introduction of formed concrete to the outdoor kitchen, combined with with timber insert doors, set the tone for the material selections which played out across the project," says Dean. "A matching timber pergola gave a sense of enclosure to the space, while custom-made glass panels placed over the cooking area, in effect creating a part-ceiling, enabled allweather use of the structure."