Nook Munday
A space for natural reflection
2020
LOCATION
YUIN COUNTRY, LONG BEACH
PHOTOGRAPHY
JAY MIERS
Inspired by owner Pete Munday’s (OAM) lifelong ethos of inviting the outside in, we created a natural nook for this South Coast atrium.
Bringing nature into a built structure as an example of biophilic design, this tiny atrium aligns with owner Pete Munday’s (OAM) lifelong ethos of inviting the outside in. The Japanese-inspired space is designed for peaceful moments of reflection and as a calming natural feature to be admired daily from within the home.
Juxtaposing depth and height via hard and soft materials creates the illusion of space in small areas. Framing the floor-to-ceiling atrium window are smaller, evergreen shrubs like nandina moonbay, which sit on a soft ground cover of baby tears. Quartz stepping stones and giant mondo grass circle the central earthenware urn water feature – home to an assortment of fish, with floating duckweed to provide food, shade and prevent algae. Building height and contrast, tall, deciduous Japanese maples hug the vertical timber cladding, while trails of mini creeping fig give depth to the smooth built wall.
Plant palette
Baby tears (soleirolia soleirolii)
Nandina moonbay (nandina domestica)
Giant mondo grass (ophiopogan japonicas)
Japanese maple (acer palmatum)
Duckweed (lemna minor)
Mini creeping fig (ficus pumila)
Material palette
Quartz stepping stones
Terracotta water jar
Hardwood timber batten screen