Complete Package

With its clean contemporary lines and dramatic art, this outdoor space is a modern marvel

- Carrol Baker

A fusion of modern and timeless, this stylish entertaining space is in a class of its own. The Victorian-era home in Melbourne’s Ascot Vale was fully remodelled and the land surrounding it was given a complete overhaul. Before the renovation, the yard was overgrown and unremarkable, the undulating levels restricting potential uses of the site. The finished project delivered a series of elegant outdoor rooms that are not only beautiful, but extremely functional.

Designer Nicholas Goff from Apex Landscapes says the homeowners’ priority was to create a space that exuded a feeling of synchronicity with the home’s interior, and to provide garden rooms and spaces that were multi-use, with a particular focus on outdoor entertaining.

One of the key features was the swimming pool. “It was important that we provided our clients with a swimming pool that sat harmoniously within the surrounding landscape and a space that flowed seamlessly from living room to alfresco to pool, where family and friends could be entertained,” he says.

The first step in the renovation process was stripping out the overgrown vegetation and levelling the land. Various practical levels were then created throughout the space, all connected via steps. As part of the project, a lush expanse of leafy lawn was laid to give the homeowners’ grandchildren plenty of room to play outdoors.