BY BONNIE

One of the biggest mistakes we made when we first started out in the reno game was to get so excited with all the fancy finishes and furnishings INSIDE, that we didn’t leave enough budget for the OUTSIDE. And there’s nothing worse than a beautifully renovated house with an ugly old garden! We took a big dose of #lessonlearnt and since then have made sure we always allocate enough budget to create outdoor areas we’re proud of too.

Our latest project, #colourmehamptons, had a massive garden to makeover so we made sure we portioned a decent chunk of the budget to transform it into the blissful backyard that the owners had always hoped for.

One of the things I love to do when designing outdoor areas is to think about how we can break them up into distinct zones. This means that there are areas suitable for different groups of people, activities or even seasons.

We always start by hand-drawing a little plan for our landscaper. It’s a great way to help them understand what you want and to accurately quote for your job.

here’s how it came to life,
in 7 different zones:

Basketball Court

It’s probably not at the top of everyone’s landscaping priority list, but the basketball hoop was a non-negotiable for this b-ball mad family. We replaced their free-standing hoop with a wall-mounted version to free up ground space and paved around it to make a smooth surface for shooting hoops.

2. Outdoor kitchen + bar

When you love entertaining, like this family, you need an outdoor kitchen that’s on point. The first they’ll notice is how much wider the flow from inside to out is. We replaced the old, brown ranch sliders with new, white sliding doors from AWS. To increase the size of the opening, we used four doors instead of the previous three, which allows for a wider doorway when they’re stacked.

We created an indoor/outdoor flow to this kitchen by adding a gas strut window to the bar and popped a barn light from Beacon either side - they’ve been a favourite in this house, both inside and out! The bar stools bring another seating option to the area, so you don’t have to sit at the beautifully set table while you’re waiting for the BBQ to cook.

This is a built-in BBQ with a difference, we used HardieGroove cladding instead of traditional cabinetry for a more textured, Hamptons look. And don’t you just love the Luxaflex shutters – they’re perfect for controlling the light and ventilation into the space.

3. Dining Area

Tiled in super-gorge Tile Cloud encaustic look tiles, we included both comfy armchairs and a bench seat to squeeze as many little bums as possible around this table for dinner time. It’s a great space for casual meals with the kids or to dress up for a special occasion, like this Christmas table I created.

4. Pool

The pool was already there, which was lucky because the budget wouldn’t have stretched to a brand new one. Unfortunately, as soon as we started renovating, cracks appeared (quite literally!) in the pool area and we ended up needing to replace the old fibreglass shell with a new concrete lining #hellocontingencybudget to make it as brand spanking new as the paving and fence.

5. Daybed

Bringing the Bali day club vibes to any pool area since way back when… daybeds are the ultimate for relaxing with a book, supervising swimmers in the pool or lounging the summer days away. It’s got built-in storage for cushions and pool toys too.

We put up VogueWall behind the daybed to help create the distinct zone. As well as looking great, it’s perfect for privacy around a pool area and creates an acoustic barrier #theneighbourswillloveyou

6. Firepit

There’s nothing like sitting ‘round a firepit on a cool evening with a glass of red. And this one’s gas so you won’t even have to go to the trouble of lighting it. It’s by Weber and we found it on one of our many shopping trips at the Hills Super Centre. That’s also where we found the gorgeous (and comfy!) outdoor armchairs from Freedom. We also built in bench seating with handy cushion storage in the base.

7.Lawn

We’re massive fans of turf. If we can’t afford to do anything else outside, we’ll always lay some turf. The lush green look does wonders for transforming an area.

This backyard is a massive 23 metres wide so there’s PLENTY of space for games of backyard cricket. We kept the back of the block clear for games on the grass.

🔥HOT TIP🔥

Even if your backyard isn’t big enough for 7 different zones like this #massivemakeover, have a go at sketching up a few distinct spaces that work for you and the way you like to live outdoors. It’s always a great starting point to design your landscaping.