13489 Habitat8 Book.indb - Resene

Small, sparse and uninviting – this city courtyard is in dire
need of a makeover.
before
> Scrubby, pointless grass
> A muddle of pebbles and paving
> Nowhere to sit and relax
> Looks barren and bleak
Life in the city often means compromising on outdoor living and garden
space. And while any garden you do get with your subdivided or crosslease
section, or terraced house is often small, it presents maybe even more of a
challenge in regard to design.
This particular courtyard is near the busy Newmarket shopping precinct in
Auckland and is part of a terraced house complex. Facing south-west, the
existing patch of grass has never done well, and is the only piece on the
property – hardly worth keeping a lawn-mower for! In fact, this is the perfect
place for the use of Stevenson paving, which comes in a wide range of
formats and colours.
From coloured masonry paving to wetcast slabs, Italian-inspired terrazzo tiles
to natural stone there is a solution to suit all budgets and styles. There are
also complementary wall, retaining and garden edging products available to
enable you to create a seamless fi nish.
Whether you want to create an additional entertaining space or a quiet
haven from the outside world, the Stevenson hardscaping products
provide a solid solution.
This courtyard is small; the main part measures just 4.5m by 4.5m with
another 2m by 3m beside the gate. The gate leads to a fairly busy street while
the bifolding doors and the single door lead to what is currently used as a
bedroom but which could be used as a second living space or home offi ce.
The main living area of the house is on the second fl oor, with windows looking
down into the courtyard.
The existing landscaping was part of the original development and consists
of some plain 300mm square concrete pavers, some river pebbles, griselinia
plants along one side and a small gleditsia tree.
We asked landscape designers Jennifer O’Neill-Joyce of Gardens to Go
and Nicky Samuel of Elan Design to add some life and fl air to this sad
little courtyard (see overleaf).
For more inspiring ideas on using hard landscaping, check out the Stevenson
website at www.stevenson.co.nz/home or call 0800 BLOCKS.
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