Ode to Luis

High above Surry Hills, this penthouse garden turns a converted biscuit factory rooftop into a striking two-terrace retreat — 100 square metres of outdoor living wrapped around a light-filled pavilion. The design channelled the bold geometry and colour of architect Luis Barragán, and the brief called for exactly that kind of drama.

Thick masonry walls became the canvas — hot pink, terracotta, brilliant blue and warm yellow — each a backdrop for sculptural cactus, succulents and grasses.

On the view-facing north terrace, a disciplined row of Mexican fence post cactus underplanted with flowering pig face sets a formal tone, joined by fan aloe, dense hedgehog cactus and a slow-growing dragon tree. Along the parapet, container plantings arranged like floral bouquets — pink-flowering aloe, copper spoons, silver kalanchoe — soften the architecture with movement and seasonal colour.

The enclosed south terrace continues the design langauge: giant cardon and candelabra cactus mingle with native Lomandra against a hot pink wall, while a towering tree aloe and a thorned, flowering Pachypodium add scale and curiosity.”