Dangar Barin Smith
Dangar Barin Smith favours lush, green vegetation to surround architecturally designed masterpieces for a holistic environment.
Words: Emma-Kate Wilson | Photography: Prue Ruscoe
Bondi Barn by Dangar Barin Smith. Photo - Prue Ruscoe.
Director William Dangar didn’t start out in landscaping; rather, he grew up on a farm out in New England on a cattle and sheep farm. It was only meeting his wife Julia, a city girl, that took him to Sydney, where he began labouring for a landscaping company, back in 1991. From there, he moved into horticulture, before working with talented landscape architects and designers who shared the tricks and skills of the trade. “I’ve been very fortunate to work with some people with incredible talent, and I’m a sponge!” William shares.
Together with business partners Naomi Barin and Tom Smith, Dangar Barin Smith has worked with some of Sydney’s best architects to create complete packages. Some favourites include the renovation of the Bellevue House by Luigi Rosselli Architects. The lush, green vegetation contrasts the white, clean, modernist lines first designed by George Reeves in 1963 in homage to Brazilian architect, Oscar Niemeyer. The other is the vast, rugged garden in Mollymook which William aimed to look like a battle between nature and the built form from MCK Architects.
Darling Point Residence by Dangar Barin Smith. Photo - Prue Ruscoe.
Bondi Barn by Dangar Barin Smith. Photo - Prue Ruscoe.
“An ongoing commitment from the client [is important to] make sure that they care for their gardens appropriately because gardens are a bit like children. They need constant care.”
Balmain Residence by Dangar Barin Smith. Photo - Prue Ruscoe.
Like most designers, the perfect client comes with a healthy budget— with plants, it helps to make things look amazing straight away. However, William shares that if a client can compromise to use smaller plants and honour the integrity of the design, the results can be just as satisfying.
A common challenge concern tends toward the clients building huge houses, without considering landscape ratio. Working with architects that support this vision is critical. With the firm favouring a layered landscape, so the vegetation has space to grow and respond to the architecture with a lush layer of texture — rather than pushing the boundaries of the block.
Tom Smith, Naomi Barin and William Dangar from Dangar Barin Smith. Photo - Prue Ruscoe.
Mollymook Residence by Dangar Barin Smith. Photo - Prue Ruscoe.
“It’s essential to stay grounded. I think that’s why our company is successful because we’re capable of letting things go.”
Bellevue Hill Residence by Dangar Barin Smith. Photo - Prue Ruscoe.
City Residence by Dangar Barin Smith. Photo - Prue Ruscoe.
“When you’re working with someone who gets emotionally involved, it often creates a better outcome. ”
Another issue can be the climate, with the designers battling with hot and dry conditions, William uses his background in horticulture to combat these. This background feeds into all the designs— “we’re very focused on making sure that the vegetation design is a strong component of what we do.” The office works hard on trying to find interesting and new plants that potentially aren’t the same everywhere— William, himself, is a big fan of natives.
City Residence by Dangar Barin Smith. Photo - Prue Ruscoe.
Bondi Barn by Dangar Barin Smith. Photo - Prue Ruscoe.
At the firm, they employ two landscape architects and two landscape designers. The combination of plant knowledge from the designers and technical expertise from the architectures leads to a well-rounded practice. “We have a very relaxed and casual way of working,” William adds. “And I think that’s really important to ensure that we don’t take ourselves too seriously which a lot of people in this space do.”
“Design isn’t something you can necessarily learn at university, you either have a skill or you don’t.”
Dangar Barin Smith likes to stay grounded in their practice. William believes the reason why they are so successful is because they are able to let things go. They are a design firm who accept the client should walk away thinking they got what they wanted, “not what Will wants.”
City Residence by Dangar Barin Smith. Photo - Prue Ruscoe.