Grasslands Studio, Northcote

Details

My sister, Katie Lockhart, invited us to develop a simple yet elegant garden for her new studio, designed by Keshaw McArthur Architects. The landscape is conceived as an extension of the architecture, creating a calm and considered environment to work within, while also shaping the experience for clients and visitors arriving at the studio.

The garden responds to the studio’s quiet relationship with its surroundings, using planting and landscape elements to soften the building’s presence and gently anchor it within the site. Rather than introducing a series of distinct garden rooms or formal boundaries, the landscape is deliberately restrained, allowing the architecture and existing character of the site to remain central.

A simple palette of materials and planting is used to intuitively define the parking areas and pedestrian approach, creating a natural sense of arrival without relying on hard edges or excessive intervention.

Planting provides moments of screening and enclosure, while also opening up to create a sense of prospect as you move towards the studio.

Ultimately, this is a garden that feels understated and connected to the architecture – a landscape that works quietly in the background while providing a beautiful setting for the everyday life of the studio and the people who visit it.

Further reading: The Local Project