An atrium, lit from within

Not every garden has a horizon. This Mosman atrium sits at the centre of a multi-level residence — a curved void open to the sky, surrounded on all sides by living spaces. The challenge was to make it feel like a garden rather than a pot plant.

We planted a cluster of Livistona fan palms tall enough to be seen from the upper floors, underplanted with a carpet of Philodendron 'Xanadu' and native violets. The planting is deliberately simple — three species, no clutter — so the architecture of the curved walls remains the dominant gesture.

At night, uplights wash the palm canopies from below and a recessed LED strip traces the curve of the atrium edge. The garden transforms: what was green and sun-drenched by day becomes warm and amber after dark, visible from every room that faces the void.