With a 180 degree wrap around balcony taking in Sydney harbour views and surrounds, this sub penthouse balcony needed a ‘less is more’ approach.
The expansive balcony of this sub penthouse in ‘The Belvedere’ in North Sydney provides the owners, Sue and Harry, with views from every one of their rooms via floor to ceiling windows, which they were keen to not obscure and have a minimal yet interesting style.
Whilst they missed the beauty of their previous homes large garden, the high level maintenance was not something they wanted to revisit, and having enjoyed apartment life when they lived in Singapore for a while, they were aware of the challenges an elevated, exposed city balcony can bring.
We wanted to introduce some fragrance and some much needed greenery to the areas where Sue and Harry spent the most time outside, so we planted Gardenia in the 2 concrete pots that frame the doors to the dining room to the East, and a white flowering Frangipani next to the matching, contemporary corner sofa to the North, that is also accessible from the lounge room.
For the North Western side of the balcony a trio of varying height and shaped pots house the beautiful, sculptural forms of a Blue Nolina (under planted with cascading Silver Falls) an Imperial Bromeliad for some drama, and a mounding Raphiolepis Oriental Pearl.
The muted burgandy, blues and silver of these plants compliment perfectly the finish of the the concrete pots, whilst the green foliage and white flowers of the Gardenia, Frangipani and Oriental Pearl bring some freshness, and softness to the space.