The Coastal Backyard That Everyone Asks Me About
A breakdown of the plants, materials, paint colours and styling details behind my most-loved backyard renovation.
I created this space during a chapter of life where I was craving calm, softness and somewhere that felt grounding. I wanted it to feel like a little resort hidden behind suburban fences. Somewhere warm, textural and peaceful. Somewhere that made you exhale the second you walked outside.
Even though I no longer live there, I still wanted to honour the space that inspired so many people and answer all the questions I still receive about the design, plants and materials behind it.
So here it is - the full breakdown of the coastal backyard everyone asked me about.
The Vision Behind The Space
I wanted to create a backyard that felt like a holiday. I wanted it to feel coastal, relaxed, mediteranean-inpired, textural and tropical. Everything was build around soft whites, curved lines, layered greenery and natural textures.
The Most Asked Questions
What paint colour did you use?
We used Dulux Natural White on both the fence and rendered walls.
It gave the backyard that soft coastal feel without looking too stark or clinical.
What render finish is on the walls?
The render texture was an undulated render finish.
This added softness and movement to the walls and stopped the white surfaces from feeling flat.
What stones did you use?
We used 10mm crushed white gravel throughout the garden beds and around the curved seating area.
The white gravel completely changed the feeling of the space and reflected light beautifully in the afternoons.
How did you create the curved edging?
We used simple pavers from Bunnings and secured them with concrete before using wide-set Ardex white grout between them.
The curved edging became one of my favourite details because it softened the whole backyard.
What plants were used?
The planting was a mix of tropical, sculptural and coastal plants that could handle the Queensland climate.
The main plants included:
- Birds of Paradise
- Foxtail Palm
- Bougainvillea
- Cowboy cactus
- Prickly pear cactus
- Madagascar palm
- Grass tree
- Mondo grass
Layering different plant textures is what gave the backyard that lush resort-style feeling.
What grass did you use?
The lawn was Empire Zoysia.
It has a softer, thicker look than many other lawn varieties and suited the relaxed coastal aesthetic perfectly.
What was the bamboo screening?
We used Bunnings bamboo fence screening and painted it in Dulux Natural White to tie it into the rest of the backyard palette.
Painting the screening made it feel much more custom and elevated.
What tiles did you use for the crazy pave area?
The patio area used a soft neutral crazy pave tile to keep the backyard feeling warm, organic and coastal.
We used:
- Atlas Latte tiles from National Tiles
- Davco Ultraflex cement
- Ardex WJ50 white grout
- Davco tile and grout sealer
The irregular crazy pave shape added so much texture and character to the space and helped soften all the straight architectural lines throughout the backyard.
Choosing a warm-toned stone instead of a cool grey tile made a huge difference in creating that relaxed Mediterranean-inspired coastal feel.
What were the total renovation costs?
The backyard renovation cost approximately $15,000 AUD all up.
Some of the larger costs included:
- retaining wall: approximately $9K
- rendering: approximately $1K
- excavation: approximately $1500
- bamboo fence screen $1500
- crazy pave tile and materials $1200
We tried to balance investing in a landscaper for the wall, professional rendering while doing the rest ourselves to make it more affordable.
How much was the bench seat?
The built-in bench seat cost around $250 AUD in besser blocks and concrete.
We built the bench ourselves and rendered over it.
It ended up becoming one of the most used parts of the backyard.
Where was the fire pit from?
The fire pit was from Milkcan Outdoor.
Where were the solar lights from?
The solar lights were from My Solar Garden.
What Made The Backyard Feel Expensive
Honestly, it wasn’t about using the most expensive materials.
The biggest difference came from:
- keeping the colour palette minimal
- repeating textures
- using curved shapes
- layering greenery
- creating contrast between soft and structured elements
- making the space feel intentional
The simplicity is what made it feel calm.
What I Learned From Creating This Space
Looking back, I think people connected with this backyard because it felt peaceful.
It wasn’t extravagant. It wasn’t huge.
But it felt like a little escape from the outside world.
And maybe that’s what we’re all really searching for when we create our homes.
Even though I had to let this home go, I’m still grateful I created it.
And maybe one day, I’ll create something even more beautiful again.
But for now, I’m just happy this little backyard continues inspiring so many of you too.
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