Water, water everywhere

The allure of a tropical holiday spent lounging beside a pool at a luxurious Balinese resort is one few can resist. As this property shows, it can be a strong design influence for homeowners embarking on a new landscaping project.

With its pagoda-like tiered roofs and loggias, the house itself was inspired by Balinese architecture and the owners wanted the landscape to follow suit. With this in mind, they approached landscape designer Robin Shafer of Shafer Design to create a garden that would respond to the architecture and capture the lush, tranquil look of a Balinese resort.

"The aim was to emulate some of the ambience of Bali and create a tranquil environment using water as the key focus," says Shafer."It was important to create the feeling that you could sit amongst the water, not just beside it."

The result is a tropical water garden, with features such as a pergola and timber boardwalk that appear to float on top of the pool. A sandstone deck and stepping stones further enhance this aesthetic.

"The house was designed so the water laps right up against it. The stepping stones create a floating pathway, and the planter and pergola accentuate the fact that it's a water garden, not just a pool."

Designed to be a family-oriented space, the garden features plenty of outdoor living areas, as well as a large lawn and wader pool for children.

The palms and low, textured ground cover give the garden a tropical focus, which enhances the theme and frames the view of the estuary beyond.

Story by: Ellen Dorset