A Room to Breath
Location: Victoria (VIC)
Size: 620 sqm
Status: Concept Design Complete, Detailed Design Commenced
The Challenge
This garden sits at the centre of a busy family home that has gradually filled up over time. With teenage boys, a pool, decks, sheds, and years of incremental additions, the space had become cluttered and harder to use. Individual elements had been added as needs emerged but without a clear overall direction. Maintenance was increasing while the garden itself felt tighter and less calm. The challenge was to pause, reset, and bring clarity back to the space.
A simple shift from lawn to gravel creates a calm, flexible gathering space.
The Gramina Response
The design strips the garden back and reorganises it around one decisive move. Grass beneath the Jacaranda is removed and replaced with a continuous gravel surface that protects the tree and opens the space. This creates a tough, permeable ground plane that works with the root system and lowers maintenance. Around this central gravel court, new garden beds introduce shade tolerant planting and clearer edges.
Painted Black shed anchored by native planting
Poolside gazebo with outdoor TV
The Garden Now
The garden reads as a calm outdoor room organised around the Jacaranda. The gravel court becomes a flexible gathering space for seating, movement, and everyday family life. Surrounding planting softens the edges while remaining robust and low maintenance. Structures such as the shed, chicken coop, and deck sit more comfortably within the overall layout. The result is a garden that feels simpler, clearer, and easier to live with.
Concept Plan - A central gravel area underneath a large Jacaranda with pool, chicken coop and storage on the sides.
New Weeping cherry softens house edge
Dense native understorey planting suitable under Jacaranda