If your yard had seen better days, why not give your outdoor space a much-needed update? Contrary to popular notion, there is no need to spend thousands of dollars on a professional landscaping job to create a stunning outdoor space.
As long as you know all the design elements that come to play in a well-designed patio or garden, you too, can build the yard of your dreams. Today, we are outlining simple and easy landscaping tips for a stunning outdoor space:
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Function Before Form
Anyone wants a gorgeous yard but before thinking about what design to choose or collecting pegs, think about the purpose of the redesign in the first place. Knowing what purpose the space will serve is the first step to designing the perfect outdoor space.
Would you like a beautiful flower garden – complete with raised beds – so you can relax any time of the day? Are you updating your yard for a vegetable garden? Would you like to build an outdoor play area for the kids? After figuring out what you hope to achieve from this project, you can start with the design planning.
Don’t be afraid to play with different ideas but make sure you are decided on a specific design. That’s because updating an outdoor space, no matter the size, takes a lot of time and effort.
Perfecting Your Setup
Some common landscaping mistakes have dire consequences. For instance, setting the patio in a sunny spot with zero shade or installing the BBQ pit in a windy area could lead to all sorts of issues that will affect the usability of your outdoor space.
During the design planning, take into account the places in the yard that gets a lot of sun and design your outdoor setup accordingly.
This goes the same for windy or shady spots; take these into account especially if you are updating your outdoor space with plans to entertain guests in the future.
Find a Focal Point
Once you are ready to make major changes in the yard, pick a focal point and define this space. A focal point is a spot that draws the eyes naturally. A tree, a statute, a gorgeous view, even your home’s architectural feature could serve as your yard’s focal point.
Try exploring different parts of the yard at certain times of the day to discover a focal point. Look for a spot that’s different in form, color, or texture from the rest of the yard.
Once you’ve decided on a focal point, define it to make it stand out even more. You can use a variety of outdoor decors and pieces of patio furniture to define your focal point.
Start Small
It’s tempting to go all out when you’re in the heat of it but don’t splurge on a total yard makeover just yet. Develop a great plan, start small, and enjoy the process of transforming something lackluster into a stunner. If you want to turn your yard into a flower garden, start with a couple of plant bedsand perhaps a couple of potted plants here and there.
Want to turn your small patch of land into a vegetable garden? Start with a couple of raised beds, plant several veggies and take it from there. Once you are happy with these small changes, you can follow up with more. By starting small, you make fewer mistakes and possibly, avoid costly renovations.
Check the Scale and Dimension
Give your outdoor space a cohesive, pulled-together look by paying close attention to the scale and dimension of the design elements. If you are working with a modest space, it makes sense to use compact pieces of furniture and decors.
This way, you can decorate your yard without overwhelming an otherwise cramped space. If the outdoor space is expansive, you have more freedom to experiment with different-sized decors.
When decorating your outdoor space, try to add as much variety as you can. Do not be afraid to experiment with different shapes, sizes, and colors to showcase your eclectic taste.
Depending on the size of the space you are working on, you may have to repeat certain elements to achieve a cohesive design. A pop of color, a standout piece of furniture, an accent décor, any of these design elements will define your space and make your outdoor space standout even more.
Highlight Your Home with Plants
Careful planting is an effective way of highlighting your home! Strategic planting helps frame the house while complementing its surroundings. An explosion of colors adds an interesting detail to your outdoor setup.
If your home has architectural features that you’d like to highlight, you can use plants to make these details pop. You can also use plants to soften harsh angles. Of course, be sure to pick the right plants and maintain your outdoor garden regularly. You don’t want the overgrown shrubbery to take over the entire property!
Sometimes an existing feature that’s been there for years will only get in the way of redecorating your outdoor space. If a certain design element is ruining the look of your outdoor space – such as a worn-out deck, a broken water feature, or a moldy tree stump – consider removing them. You can use the blank spot to build a vegetable patch, an herb garden, or set up a couple of raised beds for a flower garden.
Go for Long, Subtle Curves
Incorporating sweeping arcs, semi-circles, and spirals is a terrific way of adding interesting details to your outdoor setup. But don’t go overboard with short, curvy walkways or a number of curved beds. Not every design benefits from the presence of curves.
Though sometimes it is hard to stop because curved lines add an intimate connection to the land, too much of a good thing isn’t good either. A great landscape design is balanced. Opt for long, subtle curves so the curved lines will not dominate your space.
Creating a stunning landscape design does not have to be complicated. As long as you planned the design carefully and you’ve arranged all the design elements thoughtfully, you can create an exceptional landscape design that will bring you years of enjoyment! Found these design tips helpful?
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