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Gardening guru Rick Eckersley had always planned to do something extraordinary with his limited outdoor space. And, as a designer who worked with the forms of nature long before it became trendy, he knew he wanted to create a relaxed natural feel. The challenge was in how he would go about bringing his vision to life.
Rick, the principal designer at Melbourne landscape-design company Eckersley Stafford Design, bought this two-bedroom apartment about three-and-a-half years ago. Originally with only a small balcony overlooking carports below, he decided to capitalise on the space over the carports by knocking out most of the existing brick parapet and extending out to a wall completely covered with a soft climber. Far from creating an obvious add-on, Rick has orchestrated a seamless renovation that is as practical for outdoor living as it is pleasing to the eye from the indoors and out. It's a move that has increased his living space by one-third and given the climber-covered wall the attention it deserves.
"The apartment faces north-west and that's why 1 was able to put an extended deck out here," Rick explains. "Id rather get this aspect in Melbourne than have a deck facing the south - the sea. It's really hard getting open space that's exposed to the sea to be a reliable usable space."
And it's usable space that's key here. A leader in, and advocate of, designing outdoor areas to enrich lifestyles, Rick is all about tapping into the potential of the outdoors, which is evident in his own renovation. 1 wanted an area with tables and chairs, where people will automatically go to and not hang around door spaces, which I find really annoying," says Rick. I also wanted the area to be comfortable in the mornings and mid-afternoons. The canopy is designed to give privacy and to carry the deciduous Virginia creeper (Parthenocissus quinque
folia)."
The metal canopy, a gable-style pergola, was designed by Rick. He plans to suspend heaters from the canopy to extend the use of the area beyond the summer months. The canopy is attached to a machine-punched metal screen along one side.
In keeping with Rick's preference for a natural aesthetic, the deck features the weathered grey of hardwood timber; the brickwork from the original parapet, which now provides a dividing wall and barbecue space; and the cool earthy tones of metal planters designed by Rick. The flowering shrubs provide a burst of colour.
"It's all grey, black and brown, and then you get colour from plants," says Rick. 'Trostrate rosemary falls down over large metal tubs, so you get a waterfall effect. Cotoneaster dammeri [bearberry cotoneasterl also gives this effect. The oak-leafed hydrangeas are a seasonal plant, so you get lush green leaves in spring and summer with white flowers and burgundy leaves in autumn, which hang on through winter. The colours are white, blue and lime. It's a refreshing colour combination." Blue veronica and lime-green Euphorbia martinii also feature as tub plantings.
Rick doesn't consider his outdoor space an escape - he takes off into the country for that - but he does admit to it as being a visual escape. The indoors also serves as a visual escape, with the colours and textures of the deck moving into the interior design. "As a designer, my senses are always stirred by subtlety, textures, light - by gentle things. It's something that you don't get visually straight away," explains Rick.
Throughout the home, described by Rick as "contemporary organiJ, are 'plots' of collectables - indigenous artefacts and ceramic vessels - some on shelving recessed into textured walls. Aboriginal artworks dominate the spaces, along with Ricks prized collection of furniture from different design periods. The thread drawing these eclectic pieces together is a muted cool. "There are no shiny surfaces here," Rick explains. "Even the floorboards are a satin finish. Everything absorbs, so the light gets absorbed."
His two-storey apartment dates back to the 1860s when it was, Rick guesses, part of a Victorian guesthouse. A generously sized living area opens to the incredible deck, while upstairs are two bedrooms and a bathroom.
"They've left an ornate Victorian feel in some areas of the development, whereas in others it has been cleaned right out and taken back to very simple lines. But you still have that feeling, that space within the rooms, of Victorian-style houses, 11 he says.
Rickss apartment was stripped of its period features. Clean lines prevail, which has allowed previous owners to modernise the interior with contemporary fixtures and colours, and Rick added to this with a partition of vertical bars that rise from the staircase to the ceiling of his bedroom upstairs.
Having moved from a large home, Rick says he's thankful he was able to build the deck and substantially increase his living space. 1 would have felt quite cooped up. Now it's as though you are moving out into another space." And don't think this outdoor room comes into its own only in summer. The plantings and the positioning of lights over the climber-covered wall have made it a feature during the cooler months, too.
It really is a sculptural view I've got: in winter it has brown texture; in spring and summer, it's this green moving reflective wall; and in autumn you get these fabulous autumn colours. 1 can leave my shutters and doors open and see all this greenery at the end of my apartment."
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