Our Clifton Hill Rooftop client is a garden lover who had downsized homes. It was essential for her to stay true to the modern style of the building while making sure the garden also reflected her personal style. Our client was keen to declutter and bring cohesion to her home, creating a flow from inside to outside.
This is an L-shaped garden framing our client’s living room and bedroom. We split the garden into multiple areas to mimic the feeling of different ‘rooms’. This thoughtful layout allowed us to address the key priorities for the space: incorporating water and providing an area for barbecuing. Additionally, the garden boasts stunning views of Melbourne’s CBD, so it was essential to frame and enhance these vistas while avoiding any obstruction.
As is the case with all apartment works, this design was subject to approvals and had to comply with strict council regulations. Working within the confines of the building’s requirements, we adapted our typical planter and bench heights to ensure safety and minimise the risk of accidents. We also conducted extensive waterproof testing to ensure that lower apartments would not be affected by watering. Most importantly, we stayed true to the overall aesthetic of the building, ensuring the garden harmonised with its surroundings.
By diffusing the boundaries of this garden through different planters, we’ve been able to make the garden feel bigger. The main hardscape elements include a striking water feature, a porcelain barbecue benchtop, and a sleek aluminium overhead structure, which Wisteria floribunda ‘Royal Purple’ will eventually cover. Notably, this overhead structure is not fixed, providing a sense of lightness and flexibility.
The planting palette is a perfect balance of soft, flowing foliage and vibrant accents. We incorporated Dichondra ‘Silver Falls’, Trachelospermum jasminoides, and Tulbaghia violacea, all beautifully complemented by Lagerstroemia x ‘Biloxi’ trees and Sedum ‘Autumn Joy’. However, it’s the Wisteria floribunda ‘Royal Purple’ that will truly take centre stage once fully established, climbing across the overhead structure and adding another pop of colour.
In designing the garden’s distinct ‘rooms,’ we created a dedicated barbecue area to reflect our client’s passion for outdoor cooking, along with a discreet storage shed for easy access to gardening tools and equipment. As our client enjoys maintaining the garden herself, this feature was essential. The remaining areas include the dining space and a cosy sitting area with a water feature in a concealed pond, a burnished concrete fire table, and an outdoor lounge suite – a favourite spot for our client’s dogs to enjoy the sun.
As a rooftop garden, construction looked different to the majority of our projects. Enter crane day—a logistical challenge that required the entire team’s effort to transport supplies up to the roof. Despite the complexities, it was an opportunity for collaboration and problem-solving, and seeing it all come together has been incredibly rewarding. It’s not every day we get to work with such unique challenges, but it’s that teamwork and creative thinking that make projects like this so special.
Having completed the construction in May 2023, the garden is approaching its two-year mark. We anticipate that Clifton Hill Rooftop will be fully established in the next five years, and we’re excited to see how it continues to thrive, bringing joy to our client for years to come.
