19th Century Dream

I will open this portfolio entry with a sad statement that the landscape has not been built, and it is not looking likely that it will be, however I want to note that it was an absolute dream to work with this site. It felt like one of those "Once in a Career" locations that really enabled me to design from a different time in history, where grand gardens were the shining jewel of society.

Okay, now the pitch, the design itself was fairly straight forward, I didn't want to unsettle any of the amazing breadth of life this site had held, simply honor it and then add my own small touch to it, which I believe I achieved. reinstating the cliffside staircases, creating seating arrangements facing over the Waitamata Harbor, reforming a rose garden in a different cardinal direction with slightly limited size.

The tennis courts, which I have not featured in the photography for their dilapidated state, were to be recommissioned with a new turf, net, and side fences that didn't detract from the age of the rest of the design. A Mediterranean garden sat at the bottom of the lawn, facing back into the Estate as a destination should you chose the pace the length of the green.

Thank you to the owner for giving me a chance to design within a scale and time period that is somewhat rare these days, it was truly an honor.