Those familiar with the 1911 book, The Secret Garden, by Frances Hodgson Burnett, or perhaps the subsequent film adaptation in 1993, will recognise the references in the ‘Secret Garden House’ by Kennedy Nolan.

Accessed through a decorative gate, and surrounded by nature with plants and vines creeping up its walls, the home, which is the site’s second dwelling, gives the impression of having always been there.

True to its name, the ‘Secret Garden House’ by Kennedy Nolan invites curiosity, wonder and an imperceptible sense of having been there all along. The ‘pavilion’, hidden beyond a decorative gate, is embedded in the garden, rather than simply being placed upon it. 

The structure, which was built as a companion to the main home on the same property, comprises a kitchen, living, dining, study, bathroom and bedroom within the 98 square-metre area. To ensure the house didn’t break up the established flow of the garden, Kennedy Nolan ensured all design decisions supported an overall sense of nature and ‘being of the earth.’ Materials are earthy and warm with clay-coloured bricks, deep red elements, natural timber, ochre terrazzo, tobacco linen and brass. 

The structure of the house itself draws on the Queen Anne architectural language of the main home, with the tiled roof, half-timber facade, multi-paned window bay, vaulted rooms and decorative garden gate.