Twenty gardens. Twenty stories. Secret Gardens: Designing Private Realms explores Australia's most intimate residential gardens. Curated by Matthew Cantwell, photographed by Nicholas Watt, this cloth bound hardcover is a considered study of process, material and place, from waterfront homes to coastal clifftops and rural retreats.

Twenty gardens. Twenty stories.

Secret Gardens: Designing Private Realms invites you inside Australia's most intimate gardens. Curated by founder and creative director Matthew Cantwell, each space is an enclave created through deep collaboration between designer, client, the architecture and natural surrounds. Hidden behind walls, perched above cities, and tucked into coastal clifftops, these are spaces that exist quietly, away from the world. From waterfronts and rooftops to rural acres, each garden is intimate, considered, and completely its own.

Photographed by Nicholas Watt and written by Peter Salhani, the book is a considered study of process and place, examining how these gardens came to be. It moves beyond image to look closely at material, structure and the relationship between architecture and landscape, offering genuine insight into the thinking behind each project.

A premium cloth bound hardcover of 324 pages, Secret Gardens: Designing Private Realms treats each garden as an essential extension of the home, a space where architecture, interiors and landscape design converge.

With strong appeal across architecture, interiors and garden audiences, the book is backed by a dedicated editorial and PR campaign, including features with Belle, House & Garden, The Local Project and Co-Architecture, alongside a social campaign to Secret Gardens' engaged following of 90,000 across Instagram and Facebook. First print allocation is limited to selected stockists.

Details

ISBN13: 9781764639408
Format: Hardback
Number of Pages: 324
Edition:
Publication Date: 17 Aug 2026
Publisher: Cantilever Press
Publication City, Country: Australia
Dimensions (cm): 3.2(H)x2.5(L)
Weight (gm):

Author Biography

ABOUT SECRET GARDENS

Established in 1994 by Matthew Cantwell, Secret Gardens is one of Australia’s most respected landscape design practices, designing projects in Australia and overseas. Known for balancing spatial intelligence with richly-layered planting, the practice explores the relationship between built architectural form and nature, creating gardens of abundance in unconventional settings – from inner-city rooftops and courtyards to coastal cliffs and rural acreage. With a multidisciplinary team of more than 50, including landscape architects, designers, specialist trades and horticulturists, their holistic approach encompasses the full suite of services from initial concept design and documentation through to construction, maintenance and ongoing landscape renewal. This reflects an ethos of stewardship and care for gardens as living entities, designed to endure, adapt and thrive. Creative director Matthew Cantwell’s place-centred approach means no two gardens are alike, each responding to its own unique context, site and client aspirations. Designing gardens with personality, that support the daily rhythms of domestic life, Cantwell is constantly refining the material palette, while expanding the plant palette to create compositions rich in texture, contrast and movement – gardens that shift with the light, wind and seasons. Design excellence and a commitment to people and relationships have underpinned the success of the business, with many team members part of Secret Gardens for decades. Named in the prestigious VL50 lineup of best landscape designers (2024), the practice has won dozens of design awards, with its work featured in local and international journals, as well as two major monographs produced by Phaidon. To document its own portfolio, the practice has also published two books locally – Secret Gardens (2018, New Holland), and Secret Gardens: Designing Private Realms (2026, Cantilever Press).

 

MATTHEW CANTWELL CURATOR

Secret Gardens founder and creative director Matthew Cantwell is involved in the creative direction across all the studio’s projects. He holds an Associate Diploma of Applied Science in Landscape Design and more than 35 years’ experience in design and construction. His approach is driven by curiosity and experimentation, particularly in relation to planting palettes and the role plants play in shaping a garden’s character and atmosphere. Challenging sites and unconventional briefs are where Cantwell feels most inspired – to push creative thinking and craft landscapes that are both distinctive and enduring. In addition to his studio work, Cantwell is a regular speaker at industry events and forums, sharing insight into design, horticulture and the changing role of landscape in contemporary life.

PETER SALHANI AUTHOR

Journalist and author Peter Salhani has been writing about Australian architecture, design and the environment for more than 30 years across multiple platforms of media, exhibitions and curated events. A regular contributor to online and print journals, Peter is also editor of the new Australian publication, Field (Architecture Gone Regional), editor of sparkkle.space, a collaborator with cultural institutions on events and exhibitions, and a former editor of Monument magazine and architectureau.com. Having studied psychology, law and design, Peter examines the built environment from a holistic perspective. He lives and works on unceded Bidjigal-Gadigal Country in Bondi, Australia.

NICHOLAS WATT PHOTOGRAPHER

Sydney-based photographer Nicholas Watt has documented houses and gardens across Australia and Asia for more than 30 years. Specialising in architecture, interiors and landscape, his work uniquely captures both the composition and essence of space and form, in a delicate dance with light. His journey into architectural photography began with the gift of a Ricoh camera from his father in 1986. After studying fine arts at the University of Sydney, Nicholas apprenticed himself to Australian photographer, Eric Sierens, the protégé of Max Dupain, working as a studio assistant. Today his images are published worldwide in magazines and monographs.

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