Paul Bangay On Creating Timeless Gardens
Renowned landscape designer Paul Bangay is well regarded for his timeless and elegant gardens that embody good bones, repetition and a classic planting palette.
Paul’s obsession with gardens developed at a young age and was inspired greatly by his mum who was passionate about plants and gardening. After graduating from Burnley, Paul opened a nursery before embarking on a successful and long career in garden design. As well as being one of the judges of TDF Design Awards, Paul is one of Eco Outdoor’s longest-running clients, showcasing our stone products throughout his residential and show gardens Australia-wide.
Here, Paul discusses his design aesthetic of timeless garden making and using natural stone to create a sense of permanency.
Evolving approach remaining true to the classic style
While Paul Bangay Design has a hallmark aesthetic, their design style is continually changing and adapting with the times. Paul Bangay gardens layer in contemporary notes and soft planting schemes, but remain true to the classic style. This approach creates timeless gardens that survive endless revolving trends.
“For me, a well-designed garden brings longevity to a site, it engulfs the house in a sense of permanency,” says Paul. “I designed my gardens to endure and be timeless and one way of achieving this is by using natural stone products.”
Rob Lutton of Eco Outdoor who works closely with Paul and his clients says “Our stone options work well with Paul’s aesthetic as they are timeless, relative to size. With muted colour tones of powder beiges and soft greys, the stone doesn’t compete with the soft landscape. Instead, the material accentuates the surrounding garden allowing it to take centre stage.”
Using durable natural material with texture and life
“I don’t create gardens that are highly fashionable for 5-10 years,” says Paul. “Instead, by using natural materials and in particular natural stone that has texture and life, I create a garden that will still be respected in hopefully 100 years from its inception.”
Within the garden, natural stone shows off its superior nature as a durable material by performing well under a variety of testing conditions. “Most of our stone supply chains go back centuries. We’re simply picking up from where they had started and using stone in a more contemporary manner,” comments Rob.
“I often say, the stone will continue to look fabulous when you and I are long gone”, he says. “A beautiful garden with natural stone, like those designed by Paul, will be a saleable asset that won’t get torn up and replaced. They’re space that are an extension of the home, created for an outdoor life.”
TDF has received more than 500 entries into the inaugural Design Awards. Judging will soon commence with all shortlisted entries to be published on The Design Files and here on the Eco Outdoor Outdoor Blog. Winners of the Design Awards will be announced at the ceremony on Thursday, September 19th 2019 at Deakin Edge, Federation Square, Melbourne.
