Stunning sunken courtyard design for coastal oasis

If this contemporary residence in Port Stephens needed a standout landscape design to match, it certainly got it: Urban Exotic landscape designers were called in to transform the space into what designer Richard Kelly says "channels a Palm Springs holiday resort". Two magnificent Date Island Palm's were craned in to make a statement for the home's entrance, while the private sunken courtyard at the rear provides a secluded tropical outdoor entertaining space. The feature wall commissioned for the project is made from painted cast concrete tiles and give the space some interesting depth and texture, which is amplified when uplit in the evenings. The outdoor living area is dominated by a four metre Pandanus tree, which was also craned as a feature for the Palm Springs theme of the landscape.

[Photography by Phil Noller]