Outdoor Entertaining Area Designs.

The Outdoor Entertaining area is the ideal addition to the Melbourne Garden. Melbourne’s climate and lifestyle makes this a very practical part of the landscape design.

The Outdoor Entertaining area kitchen

The outdoor kitchen trend is a welcome part of the landscape design. Combining this with a vertical gardens with fresh cooking herbs is ideal for the Melbourne Outdoor Entertaining area design. The “Space to Grow” gold medal winning garden by Tony Woods of Garden Club London displayed many of the practical landscape design features for outdoor entertaining.

Landscape design Ideas Urban Flow by Tonny Woods

An outdoor kitchen design using a concrete bench with cooktop, wooden paling fence and vertical kitchen garden. Urban Flow by Tony Woods. RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2018

The Outdoor Kitchen

The Kitchen was supplied by Dade Design a Swiss high end designer of architectural concrete products for indoors and outdoors. Dade Design is at the forefront of concrete design and manufacture and their products, manufactured in the Rhein Valley in Switzerland, display the perfection of Swiss precision.

Outdoor Furniture

The Outdoor furniture was supplied by Italian furniture designer and manufacturer Ethimo, a specialist high end supplier of outdoor decor and furniture.

Landscape Design of the Outdoor Entertaining Area

Using modern landscape design tools, the outdoor entertaining area can be designed and checked for aspects such as access, visibility, privacy and shade. Different landscape design concepts can be explored and fine tuned to achieve the optimal landscape design outcome for the client.

Shade over the outdoor entertaining area. Using the landscape design tools, the outdoor entertaining area can be checked for shade. If the shade is insufficient, then shade cloths can be added to the design. The optimum position for the outdoor kitchen bench can be designed in.

The outdoor fireplace is also a useful part of the landscape design in Melbourne. A chimney can be used t carry the smoke away from the guests.

Using the landscape design tools, the views from various angles can be checked for fine tuning the details of the design.

Outdoor Entertainment Area

The landscape design tools can also be used to check the outdoor areas at night. The outdoor fire is a feature of many new outdoor areas.

Outdoor Entertaining Area

Children’s play areas should also be considered in the landscape design.

Poolside entertainment area.

Outdoor entertaining areas and swimming pools go well together. The landscape design makes best use of the usable space and ensures the design themes are carried through the garden. Access to the swimming pool, seating areas and outdoor fire can be checked.

Swimming Pool Entertainment Area

Pre-Cast and In-situ Concrete seating and furniture.

Outdoor furniture can be designed in a range of shapes to either maximise the usable space or soften the design with rounded shapes and adjacent lush planting. In-situ Concrete allows a range of shapes as well as durable permanent furniture.

Pool and Outdoor Entertaining area.

Curved outdoor seating

Curved outdoor furniture with close planting softens the look of the hard landscaping. This type of furniture also makes it easier for groups of people to face each other and have a chat.

Curved garden seat with irregular stone paving by Naomi Ferrett Cohen Chelsea Flower show 2018.

Sunken and partially sunken areas.

Seating and colour themes that match the garden plants can be used to great effect when landscaping seating areas of the garden. Carrying a colour theme from inside the home, to the patio and then to the outdoor room areas will create an illusion of greater size in the landscape.

Fast growing Hakea salicifolia screening out the rear fence.

White sweet alyssum Lobularia mariti is a colour match for the white outdoor furniture and sandstone lawn pavers.

A sunken garden is another way to create the illusion of greater space. In the award winning landscape design, LG Eco City by Hay-Joung Hwang, the colours and textures of the seat cushions are match the lupins and foxgloves in the garden. This colour theme is carried on to the garden kitchen behind large opening glass sliding doors.

Great colour coordination with the natural concrete colour with matching outdoor couches. Note how the cushions match the colours of the garden. Chelsea Flower Show 2018. Landscape design by Hay-Joung Hwang.

Concrete Architecture can be softened with garden plants and garden furniture. Chelsea Flower Show 2018.

Outdoor Entertaining Areas in Commercial Landscaping.

Modern Melbourne commercial landscaping of public places feature outdoor entertainment areas. Often these will consist of a permanent Barbecue with tables and seating benches. The seating benches can be made of a recycled plastic fibre composite.

Commercial Landscaping of the Entertainment areas of public spaces often includes barbecues and sports facilities like table tennis tables.

Contact us for design and construction of your outdoor entertaining area or commercial landscaping projects.

Related Landscaping Ideas from Red’s Landscaping Melbourne

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5 Top Custom Swimming Pool Designs and trends.

Gardening Ideas From The Chelsea Flower Show

Commercial Landscaping of Public Spaces.

© 2020 Reds Landscaping and Civil quality commercial landscaping Melbourne

9 great reasons for Pool and Landscaping Packages

Integrated swimming pool and landscaping packages are a cost-effective solution for Melbourne homes.

1. Landscape Design

The swimming pool or spa should be the landscape design focal point for the home landscape. Creating the design as a swimming pool and landscaping package is a great way to make this happen.

Landscape design with the pool as a focal point. The access paths and poolside entertainment areas are part of the design.

The swimming pool as a landscape design focal point.

Using the Landscape Design 3D design tools, the focal point for any viewpoint in the landscape can be designed. The design of water features as a focal point in the landscape is a landscape design principle that goes back as least as far as the ancient Babylonian paradise gardens. Water was an important focal point in Islamic, Roman and Italian gardens of the High Renaissance.

Ancient Pool Canopus. The ruins of Hadrian's Villa near Tivoli has influenced landscapers and architects for centuries.

Ancient Pool Canopus, surrounded by greek sculptures in Hadrian’s Villa (Villa Adriana, 2nd century AD), Tivoli, Italy
UNESCO World Heritage Site

2. Cost Effective Landscape design with pool and landscaping packages.

Digging separate trenches for swimming pool infrastructure, like swimming pool plumbing and electrical wiring, and landscaping infrastructure, such as drainage, irrigation, and garden lighting, is a waste of money. Integrating the pool and landscaping means that infrastructure trenches are shared. It also saves the labour of having to run pipes and wiring under paths and paving.

Installation of Swimming Pool Infrastructure.

Materials required for both the pool and landscape can be bought in bulk to save money and materials removed from pool dig can sometimes be reused in the landscape.

3. Design of Garden Lighting

With integrated swimming pool and landscape design packages, there is a great opportunity to harmonise the design of garden and pool lighting. The shared infrastructure is also an opportunity to save money.

Landscaping and Pool design package. Checking the garden lighting with the landscaping CAD model.

Integrated Pool and landscaping lighting

4. Lower Swimming Pool Maintenance.

Careful pool landscaping plant selection reduces pool maintenance and may save your pool pump.

Careful selection of the plants around pools in Melbourne can save money in swimming pool maintenance. Selecting the wrong plants next to your home swimming pool can result in continually cleaning of the pool skimmer box. A blocked skimmer box can lead to cavitation in the swimming pool pump leading to much shorter pump life. The landscape should be designed with plants that will not block the skimmer box.

5. Swimming Pool Privacy with the pool and landscaping package.

Using modern 3D landscape design tools, the privacy of the swimming pool can be checked from any viewpoint. These viewpoints can even be your neighbour’s window or the footpath at the front of your home.

Pool and Landscaping Package. Checking the Privacy. Fast growing screening plants or climbing plants can be added if any deficiencies are found in the CAD model.

6. Swimming Pool Supervision and safety.

Young children need to be under close supervision at all times and this should be close to the pool. Sometimes parents like to keep an eye on older children as well. Using 3D design the view from the windows and balconies of the home can be checked when designing the landscape. This also ads emphasis to the use of the swimming pool as a landscape design focal point.

Pool and landscaping packages using 3D CAD and photorealist rendering. Checking the view of the pool from the balcony.

The view of the pool and landscape can also be visualised from inside the home.

Pool and Landscape viewed through the window of the home.

7. Hiding the Swimming Pool Pump and Filter.

The pool and landscaping packages can be used to find the optimum position for the pump and filter. These less attractive parts of the pool design can be hidden away from view and placed in a location where noise from the pump is less noticeable. Access to the pump and filter can be checked for ease of access for maintenance.

Lap pool design. Checking the view from the entertainment area using 3D CAD Landscape Design.

8. Designing for Swimming Pool Shade

Using the 3D landscape design tools, the shadows of buildings can be factored into the design. If there is insufficient shade for the swimming pool, then a pergola can be added to the design. This is a much cheaper option than adding the pergola later.

pool and landscaping design. The view from the pergola.

The view from the pergola. Shade can be designed into the pool and landscaping package. Note the partial shade from the Pergola over the spa.

9. Putting it all together as a Pool and Landscaping Package

The pool and landscape design package can be brought together and presented as a virtual fly through for the client. This makes the overall client approval process much easier.

Lap Swimming Pool design

The view of the entertainment area.

Outdoor Play Area

A View generated with CAD.

Pool and Landscaping Packages

In summary, there are many reasons for choosing Pool and Landscaping Packages for you home landscape design. Amongst theses are the opportunities to save money through reduced waste and economies of scale. More importantly, an integrated package will result in a better outcome for your home landscape design.

Related Swimming Pool Landscaping Ideas from Red’s Landscaping Melbourne

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Custom Swimming Pool Design and Construction

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Concrete Swimming Pool Construction and Design.

© 2020 Reds Landscaping Melbourne

5 top Landscape Design trends in Melbourne in 2021

The Landscape Design trends we are seeing in Melbourne owe much to practicality as well as the aesthetic. These trends reflect the lifestyle of summer in Melbourne but are also provide a practical landscape design with drought tolerant plants and low maintenance gardens.

1. Mid-century Palm Springs landscape design style.

This is a landscape design style associated with Cacti, Granitic Sand, Concrete Paving, and Breeze-blocks. Often this takes the form of hard landscaping in light grey or stark whites contrasting with splashes of colour from the plantings. The result is typical Palm Springs glamour with a low maintenance and drought resistant gardens.

Palm Springs style landscaping often features cacti, and succulents such as agave with plants to provide a splash of colour.

The dry desert climate of Palm Spring, with warm winters, and the abundance of space, is ideal for outdoor entertaining areas. Often, these will feature a fire pit area or a swimming pool as a focal point.

Outdoor entertainment areas with a swimming pool and a fire are often features of the Palm Springs design style.

Despite the low rainfall, the courtyard swimming pool in Palm Springs is a “must have” even in the smaller landscaped gardens.

Palm Springs gardens often provide a splash of colour with hot torch lilies, geraniums, roses, and bougainvillea.

Palm Springs Landscape Design Style with Agave and Colour contrast provided by red hot poker plant (Kniphofia uvaria)

For the drought tolerant gardens, succulents, ornamental grasses and especially barrel cacti proliferate. The Palm Springs landscapers also make use of the local gravel, abundant boulders and the native palms from the area.

Palm Springs Landscaping Style with Barrel cacti and boulders.

Rancho Mirage near Palm Spring in California is an example of Palm Springs resort style landscaping. Agave and palms with contrasting splashes of colour contrast with the white walls of the buildings.

Indian Canyon Palm Springs. The abundance of boulders and the indigenous palm trees heavily influence the Palm Springs landscape design style.

2. Tuscan Mediterranean style

The design style of the Mediterranean or Tuscan garden is rooted in the choice of landscaping materials, textures and colours. Garden features such as cobbled paving, tiles, stones, bricks and especially terracotta will enhance the Mediterranean feel. Neatly clipped hedges, gravel mulch, and soft colours contrasting with brightly coloured tiles are often features in the Mediterranean and Tuscan gardens. For landscaping Melbourne gardens, consider mixing this with less formal ,drought tolerant plants and plants which give off a pleasant aroma.

Tuscan garden landscape design style with vines growing over a rustic pergola.

The rustic Tuscan garden are often associated with the Italian rural villas and are much less formal than the Italian Renaissance gardens. These gardens often feature deep blues complimenting the terracotta pots or roof tiles as well as olives, agaves and deep green mosaics.

Landscaping with olives in pots on a white balcony. Olives are often a feature of Mediterranean Gardens.

The Boboli Gardens in Florence are an example of a more formal Italian design style, but the crushed granite and earthy colours are also features of the rustic Tuscan gardens.

3. Modern contemporary landscape design

This design style features concrete cantilevered concrete steps and black steel water features with lime green structural planting.

Concrete cantilevered steppers floating steps Modern Contemporary

Balance and symmetry are features of this design style and it is the ideal design style for contemporary homes. In contrast to the design and colours of the Tuscan garden, industrial style raw concrete is common in this style of garden as well as stone and wooden garden ornaments.

Landscape design with structural lime planting and Italian pencil pines.

The symmetry and balance of contemporary landscape design. Patio with Lime green structural plantings.

Modern Contemporary landscape design style video

4. French Provincial design

The French Provincial Landscape Design Style features Hedges, Ornamental Pears, Cobblestone driveways and anduze pots. The hedges are often box hedges (buxus) and flowering plums (prunus).

Anduze pottery has been made in the Anduze commune in the south of France since the early 1600s. The design style influenced by Florentine pottery.

A French Provincial garden with patio and Anduze pots.

The French Provincial style has many similarities with the Tuscan landscaping design style.

The French Provincial house is an influence on this landscape design style.

French Landscape design is influenced by the cobbled streets of France.

5. Coastal Garden Design Style

This design style feature loose plantings of native grasses like Lomandra, native shrubs and whitewashed timber batten screens. Local boulders are also a big part of this landscape design style.

The coastal landscape design style is often used for hardy, low maintenance, commercial landscaping of public spaces.

Coastal Garden design style is often used in commercial landscaping.

Hardy Australian native grasses make an attractive and drought resistant garden.

Sunlight shining through the feathery flowerheads of the native Australian grass Swamp Foxtail, Cenchrus purpurascens. Also known as Fountain Grass.

Coastal Gardens often require clever solutions to protect plants from the fierce ocean winds. One solution is to use a white washed timber batten screen. The gaps in the screen allow some of the air to move through the screen, so minimising the turbulence that occurs with a solid fence. The white batten screens can be used as a design feature and provide contrast with grasses or Xanthorrhoea and Anigozanthos in the garden.

White timber batten screen

Coastal garden plants have to endure salt spray, wind and often not very fertile sandy soils, so Lomandra is ideal for landscaping coastal gardens as it is a very hardy and drought resistant Australian Native Grass with attractive foliage.

The green lomandra makes a great contrast with this grey stone wall.

The green lomandra mass planting makes a great contrast with this grey stone wall.

Lomandra plants being planted in a new coastal garden in Hampton.

Commercial Landscaping Design Trends

In the commercial landscaping of public spaces the design trends are towards sustainability through the use of drought tolerant plant and the handling of rainwater through rain-gardens and permeable concrete. Modern Public Space Design also requires a welcoming and accessible area where people can relax with a range of activities. As with residential landscape design, there is a strong trend towards outdoor entertaining areas where people can relax around a public barbecue.