After winning The Block; Sky High 2013, Alisa & Lysandra have turned in their police badges to pursue their passion and talent for design. Five years later, they’ve launched their very own renovation series, The Design Duo. Jam-packed full of stunning room reveals and next-level home design, here are the standout expert landscaping tips we took from the show.
Connected indoor outdoor styling
If you want to achieve a connected indoor-outdoor space, ensure your interior design harmonises with your outdoor areas. For instance, use similar design themes, match your outdoor boundary walls or fences to interior walls and bring traditionally interior décor out into the garden!
Budget for landscaping
The last thing on your mind, but the first thing people see. First and foremost, in the initial stages of calculating your renovation budget, ensure you factor in landscaping! Budget blowouts are inevitable in every project, but try to avoid it impacting your landscaping. In fact, best practice is to work out two separate budgets, allowing extra leeway for both.
Choose plants you can care for
It’s time to be honest about your personality, skill level and lifestyle when choosing plants for your garden. Be honest about whether you need a low maintenance garden, or whether you’d prefer having regular gardening work to look forward to. That way, you’re not wasting time or money on a garden that will inevitably fail!
Alisa & Lysandra’s premium SlimWall fencing carried their contemporary interior design out into the courtyard and provided a designer backdrop for their architectural garden.
Serenity means privacy
Privacy screens were big for this Albert Park courtyard. To ensure maximum privacy and serenity, the twins chose a premium SlimWall fence that enclosed the outdoor area whilst giving a dramatic backdrop to their gorgeous garden.
Function & location
How do you want to use the space? Is it protected or do you need to build more shelter? Does it get much sun, and when? What’s the climate like? Is there a view, or will you need privacy screens?
To design an outdoor space you love and use all the time, make sure it’s comfortable, useful to your lifestyle and suitable for its location. All of these questions help determine where different living zones will go and which plants will thrive.
Match the furniture
Furniture can really set the tone of the space; make sure that tone matches the atmosphere of your garden. Mid-century modern, Palm Springs, plantation, Hamptons, coastal, contemporary, classical; with so many different architectural themes and design trends, the world is your oyster! Simply ensure your chosen trend matches your plant choices to boost the overall effect.
Never overlook the lighting
Outdoor lighting can completely transform a space. Choose the right lighting by first deciding what purpose it’s for; ambiance or visibility? Entertaining or security? Explore the different possibilities with these trending outdoor lighting ideas.
Still after more renovation and landscaping tips? You can watch all their episodes or download handy checklists for more great reno wisdom learnt from their Albert Park project! Spoiler alert: Episode 3 is where the magic happens!
