In the depths of winter, I crave food that is comforting and warming. Whilst…
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Sandy McKinley lives and breathes roses. The self-trained florist has a lifetime of experience in flower growing and wedding design, and she also has her own tiny flower farm!
With her heart set on a weekend country house surrounded by flowers, in 2007, Sandy set out to transform a humble miner’s cottage in Trentham, Victoria and its surrounding paddocks into her own micro flower farm and dreamy country retreat – and so came about the idyllic Acre of Roses. After a recent upgrade in 2018, Sandy and her partner Rob have transformed the property into boutique accomodation.
Though those of us in metropolitan Melbourne aren’t going anywhere for the next little while, bookmark this delightful gem for future travels. And for those of you who can get out and about, this is the perfect weekend getaway!
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St Andrews Beach is a seldom mentioned slice of Victoria’s Mornington Pensinsula. Wedged between Cape Schanck and Sorrento, the rugged coastline faces Bass Strait rather than the bayside views favoured by the more popular townships on the opposing side of the coastal strip.
But this sense of undiscovered seclusion right in the heart of Victoria’s most popular beachside destination is exactly what the owners of this modernist-inspired beach house were seeking. It’s the perfect local getaway – and yes, you can stay here!
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It may seem obvious, but living in close proximity to a thriving natural ecosystem can be the perfect remedy to our digitally saturated urban lives. That’s how Mark Bell from Bell Landscapes sees it, holding the view that a suburban garden holds the key to relaxation, reconnection and rejuvenation.
No matter how small they are.
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When it came to designing her own garden, landscape designer Kate Patterson of KPLA had a few things to include in her ‘self-brief’. The garden needed room for children and animals to roam, spaces for entertaining as well as relaxing, and a pool! (Kate was outvoted on the veggie patches.)
The resulting family garden is tiered with layers of verdant greenery inside and out, balancing internal courtyards with a lush backyard at the rear.
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Simone Haag is best known as one of Melbourne’s most in-demand interiors gurus – but before she was a professional taste-maker, Simone spent years working around the world as a snowboard instructor!
While we’re usually profiling Simone’s fabulous design and styling projects on TDF, today she’s taking us around some of her favourite spots to stay, eat, drink and hang out in Mount Buller and Mansfield. Just in time for the snow season to start again on June 22nd!
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There comes a time in most family homes where the outdoor play equipment is outgrown, and the surrounding garden is in need of a little TLC. It was at this familiar stage that Kate Seddon Landscape Design was brought on to design a Hawthorn garden for a growing family and their now young adult children.
Kate’s design sees a disused trampoline and spa replaced with a sophisticated planting and material scheme, inspired by both Japanese and Danish gardens. This lush and inviting outdoor area is now a seasonally changing retreat for the owners, representing a new phase in their family’s life.
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Local legend has it that this one-acre property in Deepdene, nine kilometres east of Melbourne’s CBD, was designed by William Guilfoyle in the 1860s. The creator of the Royal Botanic Gardens himself!
The historic suburban garden was brought to life over a century and a half ago, and contains plant life nearly as old. It’s even listed on the National Trust! The garden-loving clients who embarked upon the restoration project required a landscaping team who were sympathetic to the history of the plot and dedicated to restoring the heritage garden to its original grandeur. It required a lot of, well… trust!
Landscape designers Ian Barker Gardens were up to the task, combining modern practices with heritage style to ensure the charm of this slice of horticultural history for many years to come.
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When Mud Office first entered this Ivanhoe property, the existing block was ripe for transformation. There was a lot of work to be done with the bare concrete driveway, large expanse of rear lawn scattered with paving stones, and a Hills Hoist plopped right in the middle.
The resulting garden is a multifunctional family space working in perfect tandem with one seriously amazing home!