Cronulla landscape architecture trends in 2018 – in conversation with landscape architect Brandon Wallis from SiteDesign + Studios.

If you’re like me, you’re one of the hundreds (even thousands) of families in the Sutherland Shire considering a renovation. Recent changes to local zoning laws means we can now build on smaller blocks. Cue the duplex onslaught!

I’d like to introduce you to Brandon Wallis from SiteDesign + Studios, best described as the Shire’s creative tradie. He’s a landscape architect who’s not afraid to get his hands dirty and has a real flair for creative landscaping design. I sat down with Brandon and over a coffee, picked up some helpful tips for renovating your backyard (and some trends to watch out for in 2018). Enjoy!

CP: So, tell me a bit about Site Design? What sort of work do you do?

Well, we are a mobile, lightweight business with a local flair. There’s no egos, no suits and ties here — just a mix of landscape architects and designers working as a team on sites around the Sutherland Shire. Most of our work is residential projects in and around the Shire.

I often liken us to the MASH unit… we love getting our hands dirty. We’re out in the trenches, collaborating with clients and trades to make sure we deliver the most efficient and practical design on each and every job.

We create places for people to enjoy. We are all about working closely with our clients to understand how they use their backyard and then designing their own oasis to enjoy. We’re out to lift the profile of landscape architecture.

CP: I understand you’ve been involved in some pretty amazing projects over the years – which one really stands out for you?

The Hilton Resort in the Canary Islands would have to go down as one of the very best. The conditions were really challenging with steep rock and hard dirt and the budget matched the ambitiion.

We had a creative field day.

I was working alongside Jamie Drury, we were there for a month and together we designed 15 pools. I have to say, I was really grateful for my practical landscaping experience during this project.

That’s why I encourage my team to get across the full spectrum of landscape architecture and design. We never want to pigeonhole ourselves and we never want to be confined to an office. We love that we can be designing one day and digging the next.

CP: We often talk to clients who are thinking about a pool as part of a larger backyard renovation. What’s some advice you offer your clients when they’re thinking about a backyard reno?

It’s all about purpose of space. Every section of your backyard down to the last centimetre has a purpose and once you understand that, creating a functional space is easy.

Too often we see premeditated backyard design.  Clients or architects find something in a magazine and want to replicate it. This doesn’t work very well. Client’s need to define the spaces in their yard and how each space links to the other. Then go through a system of approval to see what’s achievable. And that’s where we add value — we offer advice on regulations and issues that could constrain the design. 

Finally, it’s about budget and aesthetic. It’s a process of layers and it requires a lot of collaboration with the client – our best projects are simple designs that have had a high level of client engagement.

CP: We love how your business model focuses on the local (a bit like ours!). Tell me a bit about that and how it benefits your clients?

Our people are what makes Site Design successful – their success is my success.

When you go to work with people you like and you work with trades you like, that makes for a very healthy work life. I’m not here to complicate things, I just want my people travelling less and working with people they have a good rapport with. At the end of the day, it’s all about relationships.

CP: Are you noticing any design trends emerging in 2018? What are clients asking for lately?

Landscape architecture trends around Sydney are coming and going fast. The media has sped up the movement of trends. I’d have to say, a lot of gardens these days are too eclectic and busy. We like to keep it nice and simple.

That said, I’ve been working on a new trend, the Palm Springs trend. There’s a Palm Springs vibe going on these days that really works. The gardens haven’t adjusted to that. The architecture has gone down that path. Low maintenance gardens are very popular. Clients could spend more money on their fences and less on their plants and keep it really minimalist, more rock and pebble and a tree here and there; and really lush turf.

CP: What are the benefits to backyard design in choosing a concrete pool over a fibreglass pool?

We’re pretty big believers of ‘Genius loci’ — the protective spirit of a place — and a location’s distinctive atmosphere.  Our designs are always dictated by the feel of the space.

When doing concrete pool landscaping, concrete gives us the flexibility to design a pool to suit our clients’ backyards, and we get more uniqueness for our clients.

Backyards in the Sutherland shire and Sydney wide are getting smaller and smaller so being able to customise our pool design is important. We aren’t much of a fibreglass kind of company.

Brandon Wallis is the founder of SiteDesign + Studios, an award-winning landscape architecture firm in Cronulla and a valued partner of Cronulla Pools. Check out some of their work or get in touch at sdstudios.com.au.

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