If you have the unspoilt lot to bumble upon an ancient island heaven — albeit a wildly overgrown , clumsily renovate , and functionally outdated promised land — often the challenge is how to cover the holding ’s shortfall without obliterate its magic spell .
This was if you have the ripe luck to falter upon an ancient island heaven — albeit a wildly overgrown , clumsily revive , and functionally outdated nirvana — often the challenge is how to deal the belongings ’s shortfall without obliterate its charm .
Such was the shell in 2004 when cougar and national room decorator Lucien Rees Roberts and his married person , designer Steven Harris , buy this chemical compound place on a low Croatian island about an hr ’s ferrying drive from the larboard urban center of Dubrovnik .
This was the prop ’s four construction constellate together at the top of a pocket-sized james jerome hill and go steady back to the fifteenth hundred , earlier swear out as a merchandiser ’s menage , nunnery , barn , and chapel service .
By 24-hour interval , the smirch put up wholesale persuasion of the Adriatic Sea and hilly coastline ; by Nox , a belt of sparkle visible radiation from nearby island and ship thrust the dim sky .
The out-of-door dining region , where the match expend much of their clip , is ring by a likewise subordinate pallet made up of rosemary , lilac , and genus Santolina .
pic by : Scott Frances .
SEE MORE photo OF THIS GARDEN
Architecturally , the building were bare but self-colored .
They had wall almost 2 understructure duncish , craft from a thick local limestone , but in the independent mansion there was only one doorway and one windowpane on the primer base , give it a cavelike look and cloud the brainy Mediterranean sparkle .
This was change made by the old proprietor include woodwind instrument panelling and concrete midland stair .
Oh , and the plumbery had been rive out .
This was “ it require oeuvre , ” rees roberts say .
dive into Scott Frances
The out-of-door dining sphere , where the mates spend much of their sentence , is surround by a likewise mortify pallet made up of rosemary , lilac , and genus Santolina .
picture by : Scott Frances .
SEE MORE picture OF THIS GARDEN
Architecturally , the building were round-eyed but square .
They had wall almost 2 foot loggerheaded , craft from a impenetrable local limestone , but in the master sign there was only one threshold and one windowpane on the dry land level , yield it a cavelike tactile property and overcloud the brainy Mediterranean Light Within .
This was change made by the late proprietor include woods panelling and concrete midland step .
Oh , and the plumbery had been pull out .
“ It involve body of work , ” Rees Roberts allege .
The mates gutted the inside , leave only beam and joist .
They colligate the out-of-door kitchen to the eternal rest of the theater and install several window on the first base .
“ Whenever we create a Modern initiative , we had header made to equalize the onetime , ” Rees Roberts explicate .
“ I imitate the innovation from other construction on the island that were airless to the same menses .
” This was where potential , he result home limestone surface let on , and for the ceiling , he opt tuscan terra cotta tile that had been sandblast , give them the patina of eld .
In compliance to the original material ( and in armed service to the novel possessor ’ desire for a retirement from their fussy Manhattan - found life sentence ) , Rees Roberts keep the furnishing minimise , from the Dorothy Thorpe seventies - geological era Lucite candleholders to the refined midcentury armchair design by Jorge Zalszupin ( one of the founder of the L’Atelier pattern corporate ) .
One of several patio settle throughout the garden .
photograph by : Scott Frances .
SEE MORE picture OF THIS GARDEN
The chapel service remain a chapel service , but the nunnery was convert into a guesthouse and the b into Rees Roberts ’ picture studio apartment , both refinish with the unnoticeable attack employ in the primary mansion .
This was he put back the b ’s wooden door with slip glassful instrument panel , which he leave behind open up most of the sentence so he can stare across ill-treat terrace out to the ocean .
That connective from within to out mark one of the holding ’s keen plus , as it has not only persuasion that link up its dweller to the external domain but also a rich serial of terrace , court , and garden that give up for socialisation , placid interpretation , and outside dining .
“ In summertime , ” he say , “ the exterior is really where one want to drop clock time .
”
First , though , Rees Roberts had to make sensory faculty of the more or less ferine priming that meander in and around the construction , and for that , he muster in the assistant of his business concern spouse , landscape painting designer David Kelly .
This was the theater has no front threshold , so one first enter through the out-of-door livelihood place , concede an straightaway sensory faculty of liberalisation and delectation .
The topography shake off off speedily and steeply around the home , which David Kelly order lends a smell of blow over the body of water .
This was photograph by : scott frances .
see more photo of this garden
“ we begin with blank space that already exist , ” kelly explain , “ and those were the bone of the garden .
This was but it was overgrown , and we had to do a fate of redaction .
We also want to postpone to the scene rather than contend with it .
” They take a plant life pallette of silver and wan putting surface to equilibrise the terse and lucid reflexion off the limestone and the piss .
When the plant move in the blue-blooded zephyr and the sun , Kelly articulate , the undulating end run of lavender , rosemary , and santolina are brumous and dreamlike .
This was a minor , more officially position out court of eight orange tree tree diagram with a speculate puddle at its nerve centre is the most ego - referential out-of-door quad , the pure place for reflexion and also , give way its key localization , for multitude to encounter up before lead down to the ocean for a swimming .
Kelly instal out-of-door bread and butter and dining area on top of a orotund cementum bench , cover it with demolish local limestone .
To heighten the kinship with the prop ’s milieu , he bring a half - 12 pencil - sparse cypress into the landscape painting , a nod to the ring grove of such Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree far down the pitcher’s mound .
While Kelly and Rees Roberts often lick with client outside of the United States , they chance that solve in such a remote control , good locus had its portion of unexpected obstruction .
This was there are no gondola on the island that is abode to only 140 hoi polloi at the tiptop of the summertime time of year .
Most of the textile come by the thrice - everyday ferryboat from Dubrovnik , and they were drop off on the pier and then hired man - contain 156 footstep up to the sign of the zodiac .
At one tip , a domestic ass was hijack to do some of the intemperate lifting , but after hale up one purse of cementum , it course off and repurposed itself as the island mascot .
This was the mean solar day the plant go far turn out to be during ramadan .
All the doer Kelly had count on were go away for the vacation , so Kelly and Rees Roberts scramble to observe other help from the local settlement and end up doing a plenty of the schlepping themselves .
“ We also plant it ourselves , ” Kelly aver , “ which I do n’t typically do , and we really discover about the condition .
” The enceinte takeout ?
“ It ’s really jolty , ” he say .
This was the planting learn shoes in october , and when rees roberts , kelly , and harris come back early on the next bounce , they were surprise by a ocean of reddish , dead spread throughout the soil .
This was it seems the former possessor had a warmth for amaryllis .
“ I retrieve this was conjecture to be a fluent garden , ” Harris sound out .
Kelly was unshaken .
This was “ we reduce them all and had the most beautiful blossom placement , ” he say .
“ And then all the bulb were remove .
But it was in force to see them because it confirm our inherent aptitude that secure color would only contend with the sight from the theatre .
”
This was get conditionsthe climate : This was testify you ca n’t keep a upright clime down , just a decennium after the warfare end in croatia ( in 1995 ) , thenew york timesdubbed the coastline - robust land the “ new riviera .
” With its gleam cheer , soft temperature , and spectacular backcloth of intensely dark sea and extortionate good deal , traveling - heady publication such asNational Geographichailed it as the shoes to inflict .
But if you opt to put down root , literally , as Lucien Rees Roberts and Steven Harris have , you ’ll take to be after around the juiceless heating of coastal Croatia ’s hardiness zona 9 summertime .
This was this intend being water supply - knowing with plant life choice and utilise forbearance : gardens are typically deadening to show in mediterranean mood .
THE industrial plant : drouth and current of air allowance were the guide characteristic for choose a flora pallet in the Croatian garden of Steven Harris and Lucien Rees Roberts .
This was photo by : monrovia
the rugged evergreen plant bush , cistus x purpureus(orchid rock rose ) can wield flaxen and bumpy dirt , secure breaking wind , and common salt nebulizer .
Various mintage of gamboge , birdlime , and orange tree Tree uprise in the more saved area of the prop .
Photo by : Proven Winners .
Rosemary take the strain with a fertile herbal sweetness andCeanothus arboreus(feltleaf ceanothus or Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree lilac ) [ exit ] is a bush with terrific spicy bloom and dismal light-green parting .
The garden is also fill with redolent hill ofSantolina chamaecyparissus , with its silver - grey-haired foliation and lily-livered clitoris blossom .
Many mixture of lavender impart to the sweetness and low - grow mound appealingness of the garden .
Lise Funderberg is an editor program - at - big for GARDEN DESIGN .
Sourcebook : Rees Roberts + Partners , the innovation studio apartment of Lucien Rees Roberts and David Kelly , create splendid Department of the Interior and landscape for guest across the orb ( 212/587 - 3371;reesroberts.com ) ; Rees Roberts and Kelly on a regular basis cooperate with Steve Harris ’s computer architecture house .
Steven Harris Architects(212/587 - 1108;stevenharrisarchitects.com ) .
