People – Harald Paech

An overgrown four and a half acre block in Oxford Falls is the resting place for much of Sydney’s historic sandstone. Blocks from buildings and structures that have made way for modern development are collected and categorised there in a system that makes sense to one man. It’s all been salvaged by the self-appointed stone custodian, Harald Paech. The characteristic, beautiful, recycled sandstone pieces that have been appearing in Spirit Level designs as seats, tables or in our feature walls, have been supplied by Harald since our earliest gardens.

Places – Greenwich Garden

A garden tailored to suit the purpose of each space and the outlook of each room.

Plant in Focus – Mexican Bush Sage

Mexican Bush Sage

Salvia leucantha

This is the kind of plant you want to hug, or in the very least, pat like a dog.

Plant in Focus – Mediterranean Spurge

Mediterranean Spurge

Euphorbia characias subsp. wulfenii

A great looking plant in the garden, no matter what the season.

Places – The Fire Pit

We believe in creating places in gardens for people to congregate, talk and take time to work things through. The fire pits we design and install have been steadily increasing in popularity with our clients but we see them as more than just a trend. They signify possibility.Frivolous or serious, they provide an opportunity for people to gather to enjoy the millenia-old ritual of fire, to enjoy time together and grow from one another’s insights.

A lit fire invites you back out into the garden to enjoy its’ winter hibernation. The bare branches of deciduous trees and the lack of bright blooms creates a different atmosphere, a sense of quiet, a bigger sense of the space. They are another way to get you involved in your garden – by being outside, and being warm and comfortable, you experience the space in a different way. Come summer, the firepit is a place to gather for social events or solo contemplation.

A well-situated, and well-designed firepit will have various incarnations over the range of seasons, now is definitely the time to rug up and enjoy the intimacy of a roaring fire in your backyard.

People – Bernard Trainor

You may not have heard of Bernard Trainor, but you might recognise his aesthetic. As a designer, there is a sparseness in what he imposes on the landscape, allowing the personality of the terrain to shine through.

He recently spoke at the Australian Landscape Conference, held biennially in Melbourne for over a decade. His lectures were an inspiration for us here at Spirit Level, where his design aesthetic has been a point of reference for us for some time now.

Places – Coastal Garden

When clients asked us to create a landscape on the roof of their new apartment block, the dramatic site demanded an equally dramatic treatment.

We had to think about it a bit differently. Perched on the coastline at Tamarama, the landscape we were creating needed to pay homage to the beauty of the Pacific Ocean beyond, it needed to always look good, and rather than try to upstage it, compliment the view.

People – Kris Cadogan

At Spirit Level, we believe there is an artistry in using stone, and that for something as permanent as your stone finishes – be it paving, walls or fireplaces, the investment in a skilled and passionate stonemason is worth every cent. You can see true talent in finished stone design. A man who was integral to our early stone work has gone out on his own, and we think that based on sheer-talent, Kris Cadogan’s company, Ministry of Stone should become a household name.

Plant in Focus – Strobilanthes

The remarkable foliage of Strobilanthes screams ‘Look at me’! and makes it a plant that’s constantly asked after when it’s noticed in gardens. They all grow well in semi-shade to full sun and they don’t like frost, making them perfect for Sydney. Regular shaping brings out their best. We love three specific species for the colour and drama that they add to the landscape.