'Holden ute rocks Mondo display'

The West Australian – New Homes, July 4th

Adding a barbecue plate and grill to the engine space of an old HZ Holden ute has created a funky, yet functional, focal point in the backyard of Dale Alcock Home’s new Mondo display at Wellard.

The witty installation brings Australian touch to the outdoor entertainment space and is a talking point for the youthful market the home hopes to attract.

The Holden – bearing a Mondo Rock personal numberplate – has been cut in half and fitted against a burnt-orange, rendered screen wall on the entertainment deck. The bonnet, set a sharp angle, provides a splashback. Glazed sliding doors open to the deck from the games room, which also has a motoring theme with a wall-sized photo of a car dashboard behind the optional built-in bar.

Managing director Dale Alcock, said the backyard provided an extension to the entertaining theme of the Mondo.

‘We wanted to give this area a fun, memorable look but leave it open enough for the area to be functional to entertain a group of friends. The inclusion of the HZ Holden ute barbecue adds a very Aussie element to the backyard and has proven to be a big hit with men and women.”

A raking steel-framed pergola shelters the entertaining deck, which has been furnished with a free-standing, powder-coated mesh bar with CaesarStone top and three contemporary swivel chairs, plus white tub chairs and a circular coffee table.

The complement the funky look of the deck and barbecue, the landscaping design team has selected a mix of striking and dramatic plants for the surrounding garden beds and a number of feature pots, and included a semi-circle of synthetic turf for a pocket lawn.

In the back corner, next to the deck, Dracaena marginata or dragon trees give an impact against the fence, and along the side boundary there’s a mix of low sedge (Carex petrei), standard and variegated agave, Dianella wyeena and four sago palms (Cycas revoluta). On the opposite side of the deck, more sago palms, Dianella wyeena, and the burgundy tones of Moses-in-a-basket (Rhoeo discolor) frame a feature Dragon’s blood tree (Dracaena draco).

The front garden continues the theme of dramatic foliage trees and shrubs set against the sharp vertical and horizontal planes of burnt orange and dark grey render on freestanding boxed frames and low planters.

Timber decking is used in the approach to the front doors, and the driveway and paths are in Carnarvon stone and Rainbow Quartz. A carefully positioned mix of sedge, Dianella wyeena and sago palms, plus patches of Irish moss (Sagina subulata) with various types of succulent two focal dragon trees.

They surround the deck, and three New Zealand Christmas bushes (Metrosideros ‘springfire’) add a splash of colour on the side fenceline.