Context and brief
The house is situated on the South Western slopes of the Fish Hoek Mountains. The property has a beautiful setting, and magnificent views of False Bay. Both the house and garden are however quite exposed to the harsh sun and wind.
The lower entrance level garden is quite separate from the main house entertainment areas and the client wants to create a quiet, private garden to allow them to use this area more effectively as well as provide a more defined entrance for visitors.
Design Solution
The client had already created extensive stone wall terracing at the rear of the property as well as formal stone steps between the house and entrance garden level at the front.
The client was keen to extend the use of the stone into the front garden, using sandstone rocks gathered from the site and other construction sites in the area.
A series of gentle terraced areas are conceived to define the garden into “zones“ of formality and organic-ness depending on the public or private nature of the space. The design encourages the user to sit or move through to appreciate the garden more fully. Suggested materials also enhance these different zones and a ”sacred” formal grass area is created as an ‘ode’ to traditional extensive lawns.
Existing large rocks are expressed and incorporated with hardy indigenous fynbos planting. A new entrance gate and steps are proposed, organically encircling the large existing rock at the current entry point to the property.
2019