Can an interior designer give you advice for the exterior of your home? You bet they can! Many of the same principles apply, and it’s all about creating an environment of balance, scale, proportion and harmony. Everything from choosing the paint color, to adding decorative elements to your landscape ~ these are the details that will set your home apart!
- Develop a Theme ~ Would you have a French baroque style in one room of your home, and modern in another? Probably not. The same theory applies when designing your landscape. Consider the style of your home, whether it be cape cod, contemporary or old world, and select plants and accessories that compliment that style.
- Vary The Height ~ Just as you might do in a grouping of accessories on a fireplace mantle, vary the height of plantings in your landscape. If you’re planting in a bed against a fence, put the taller plants in the back, and terrace down to shorter plants in the front, as shown in this example from Sunset magazine.
- Add Some Weight ~ Adding “weight” is a common design term to signify the balance of scale and proportion in a room. If everything is the same size, it doesn’t look quite right. Something needs to stand out among the rest, so when working with your landscape, be sure and have a dominant focal point in each planting area, and vary the diameter of the plants, as well as the height.
- Do The Unexpected ~ I love that the fountain in this photo is actually placed in the planting area. It softens the rough concrete edges by having rocks and plants tucked around it. I’ve done the same thing in my yard with potted plants, and it adds an element of interest, but also adds height by elevating the greenery off the ground.
I hope you’ve found these landscape design tips helpful! Having a plan in mind before you start can save you from making costly mistakes, but if you’re finding yourself a bit stuck, my Designer Download session can help! We will walk, talk and brainstorm our way to creating a plan that suits your desire and your budget.
Design should be fun, not stressful!
~ Kathy