Est Living

Happy to be included in the the recent Est Living ‘Living With Landscape’ features the studios shaping modern Australian gardens. Words by Megan Rawson

View the full issue here

With over twenty years’ experience, Andy Murray designs

gardens guided by one principle: the garden is for the

client. “Every garden should enhance daily life,” he explains.

Known for his passion for plants and meticulous attention to

detail, Murray creates spaces that feel playful, effortless, and

immersive, where colour, texture, and scale combine to lift

the spirit. From intimate inner-city courtyards to expansive

country estates, the studio’s plant-driven landscapes enrich

the lives of those who inhabit them every day. “A well-

designed garden is palpable — you feel good the moment

you step inside,” Murray says, delivering gardens that feel so

perfectly right, clients cannot imagine them any other way.

The studio’s design process is deliberately simple but

rigorous. Beginning with an in-depth client brief, Murray’s

team develops a preliminary plan incorporating all hardscape

and softscape elements alongside a considered planting

scheme. Clients have time to reflect before the plan is

finalised, costed and refined in collaboration with trusted

landscape contractors. The build is equally hands-on: Murray

works closely on site with contractors, navigating unforeseen

challenges and ensuring every decision aligns with the

original design intent. “A great garden needs to be designed,

built and maintained well. More than maintained—it must be

nurtured to reach its potential,” Murray notes.

Australia’s diverse and often challenging climate shapes the

studio’s planting approach. Rather than following rigid origin-

based rules, Murray selects plants that thrive in their context,

from Mediterranean species suited to extreme heat to locally

indigenous palettes near remnant bushland. “Plants are the

instruments for the garden designer,” Murray explains, “and

the right choice will always deliver longevity and beauty.”

Looking ahead, Murray celebrates the shift towards loose,

seasonal and diverse plantings in both public and private

gardens. With access to a wider palette of unusual and native

species, the team can craft outdoor spaces that are dynamic,

personal and enduring. The ultimate goal is simple: to create

gardens that don’t just look beautiful, they feel completely,

effortlessly right.

“A well-designed garden is

palpable—you feel good the

moment you step inside.”