Structured, sculptural and in tune

Designed by Mint Landscape Design

From the landscape designer:

This Brighton landscape was designed alongside a knockdown and new-build home with contemporary luxury bayside architecture. 

The brief called for a cohesive front and rear landscape that would complement the home’s strong architectural character, incorporate a pool and spa, and provide the owner with a refined but low-maintenance garden. 

A defining consideration was the basement, which extends beyond the footprint of the house and beneath sections of the front garden. 

This limited the areas available for conventional in-ground planting and required a different approach to creating a green and welcoming arrival. 

Front garden responds to limited depth available

The front garden responds with a carefully composed combination of artificial turf, potted planting, clipped forms and a sculptural concrete plinth. 

Circular elements soften the home’s linear architecture, while paths move between curved and straight alignments to guide visitors towards the entrance. 

The pots allow planting to be introduced in areas where the basement below made traditional garden beds impractical, ensuring the frontage still feels layered and established. 

A low-upkeep garden features at rear

At the rear, the homeowner wanted a low-maintenance garden that would retain a strong visual presence throughout the year. 

The pool and spa were designed as a single fluid composition, with a sweeping curved concrete edge forming the architectural spine of the space. 

Rather than using a conventional rectangular pool form, the curve creates movement through the garden and establishes a distinctive relationship between the water, landscape and house. 

Muted mosaic tiles and gentle water movement soften the concrete structure. 

Pale paving and dark accents continue the home’s restrained material palette, allowing the landscape to feel like a considered extension of the new architecture. 

Planting around the pool was selected and arranged to provide greenery, screening and visual depth while responding to the owner's preference for low maintenance. 

Planting softens and complements built elements

The planting softens the built elements and boundaries while maintaining the clean character of the architecture. 

Careful attention was given to proportion throughout the relatively compact site. 

Every element needed to earn its place, from the pool and spa to circulation, planting and outdoor living areas. 

Curves were used to create visual depth and soften transitions, while the consistent use of geometry, materials and planting connects the front and rear landscapes. 

The completed garden resolves two very different site conditions within one clear design language. At the front, the landscape overcomes the physical constraints created by the basement. 

At the rear, a low-maintenance garden provides a calm, green setting for the pool and contemporary home. 

Together, the spaces feel structured, sculptural and distinctly suited to their bayside setting. 

Story by: Trendsideas