A “sophisticated, glamorous and sexy” garden for drinking champagne made possible by Dekton

Carlton Gardens is a beautiful green area in Melbourne (Australia) listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This is the venue for the Melbourne International Garden & Flower Show, an annual event attended by the world’s top landscaping experts.

MINT Design, a studio specialising in gardens and swimming pools, participated in the last edition of the show with a stunning design called Aurum. “The design premise of Aurum was quite simple: to create a garden for drinking champagne. So I needed the garden to embody the idea of what champagne represents. It had to be sophisticated, glamorous and sexy”, says Darin Bradbury, head of the studio.

To achieve this effect, Bradbury teamed up with Dekton to create the tops of the tables on which the champagne would be served. Specifically, the colour chosen was Bergen, a shade inspired by natural Portobello stone that strives for perfection in tone, structure and depth. With its beautifully layered sculptural pattern on an off-white base, Bergen perfectly embodies what the creator needed. “With its golden veins, Bergen matched our colour scheme beautifully”.

“Aurum is unashamedly hedonistic and glamorous, and yet is rooted in nature. Its design combines elements of modern philosophy and Art Deco, reinterpreting them through contemporary design principles. The fresh colour palette used highlights the aesthetics in a climate-conscious and people-focused design”, said its creator in an interview.

It goes without saying that the star material of this design from MINT also had to be weather resistant. “There is no other product on the market that offers the durability required for outdoor applications and, at the same time, the look of high-end natural stone”, says the specialist. “Now our customers want to replicate the interior finishes of the house in their outdoor spaces, and there is simply nothing on the market that allows us to do that, except Dekton”.

The professional, who is used to working with the Cosentino ultra-compact stone, adds: “Dekton is very stable against UV rays and all weather conditions, making it perfect for outdoor worktops. Another advantage of the material is that it is available in large format slabs, which made it possible to use a single Dekton slab for our 3.1 metre long dining table. It is also quite lightweight, making it easy to install”, he explains.

The table of which Bradbury talks is a sculptural piece that, in his opinion, is the heart and soul of the design. “The bespoke steel table has a large, built-in ice bucket at one end for chilling champagne and wine. This table projects out from the main wall, creating a window onto the gardens beyond. It was designed to be the main gathering area for guests, and the entire garden is built around it”, Bradbury says finally.