Crafting Natural Paradises

FORMED GARDENS

BY CRAFTING GARDENS THAT FEEL LIKE A NATURAL EXTENSION OF YOUR HOME AND INSPIRE GENUINE CONNECTION, FORMED GARDENS REDEFINES OUTDOOR LIVING.

Formed Gardens is a residential landscape design and construction company based on Sydney’s Northern Beaches. They believe that exceptional gardens seamlessly blend functionality, aesthetics and sustainability. Formed Gardens succeed in creating personalised outdoor spaces that harmonise with both architectural design and nature’s beauty.

The team approaches every project by creating a design that works with the site, rather than imposed upon it. As a company they believe it is their responsibility to seamlessly integrate a house and landscape into its surroundings in collaboration with nature. Despite the structured elements, their gardens perpetually emanate the untamed essence innate to Mother Nature’s craftsmanship, an essence they strive to emulate.

With 15 years of experience as a team Formed Gardens is abundantly talented in crafting spaces and tailoring to your site and needs. This ethos empowers them to forge landscapes that are not only attuned to our demanding climate but also elevate property worth and, most crucially, enrich daily living.

THE COVER IN DETAIL

WHALE BEACH

This is a unique 800m² of garden on an elevated site located at the north end of Whale Beach overlooking the ocean. The garden is located behind a traditional Palm Beach cottage perched a third of the way up the site.

Initially the space was completely covered in dense vegetation, difficult to access, and almost impossible to ascertain what lay beneath. The design however evolved with much hope and ambition given the steepness and uncertainty of the site.

The brief given was to explore opportunities to open up the area and create usable spaces for entertaining, recreation, and most importantly find a suitable spot for a rock pool. Through multiple stages of clearing, the natural beauty of the site began to emerge. A series of rock formations and boulders were uncovered which ultimately shaped the location of the pool, potential open terrace areas and a possible pathway through to connect them.

The challenge of course was how to execute the rest of the works. The property had a very steep slope with limited access. Amazing, but equally frightening, were the floating rock boulders that needed a clever engineering solution to secure them. A determined client and project team saw the construction take off and after almost 18 months the result was truly epic.

The centre piece to this landscape design is certainly the underpinned rock pool with overhanging boulders. Surrounded by expansive gardens and terraced lawns, there is a spacious open pergola and entertainment area atop a hill, drawing inspiration from Italian design. This space is linked together by a sequence of impressive railway sleeper and concrete stairways. Selected materials of concrete, recycled

timber and sandstone are robust and sympathetic to the coastal setting, while a colourful mix of hardy native and exotic plant types are blended together on mass to soften areas between rock formations and terraces.

For transformative inspiration and attention to detail that will revamp and reenergise your property, give the team at Formed Gardens a call. •

“Our gardens while structured, always retain that sense of wildness that mother nature does best, and that we aspire to recreate."

304/20 Dale Street, Brookvale 2100. (02) 8036 8580. Insta: @formedgardens. www.formedgardens.com.au.