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  1. Garden & Outdoor
  2. Garden
  3. Sun Exposure: Full Sun

Contemporary Full Sun Garden Ideas and Designs

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Los Altos Hills
Los Altos Hills
April Philips Design WorksApril Philips Design Works
The Spa, spa deck, water feature and greenwall.
Inspiration for a small contemporary back full sun garden in San Francisco with a living wall and decking.
Brooklyn Backyard
Brooklyn Backyard
Root & Vine GardensRoot & Vine Gardens
Brooklyn Backyard Oasis. Blue stone patio, Ceder privacy fence.
Inspiration for a small contemporary back formal full sun garden for summer in New York with natural stone paving.
3304 Barton Creek Blvd
3304 Barton Creek Blvd
Julie Mack RealtorJulie Mack Realtor
Enjoy private koi ponds and multiple waterfalls including this 20 foot waterfall right from the hot tub. Photo Credit: Artist Couple
Design ideas for an expansive contemporary back full sun garden for summer in Austin with natural stone paving and a pond.
Marian's minimal maintenance - front garden
Marian's minimal maintenance - front garden
Optic Verve LLCOptic Verve LLC
Photo by Anna Kullgren/Optic Verve
Medium sized contemporary front xeriscape full sun garden in Portland with a garden path.
Brixton Garden
Brixton Garden
The London Gardener LtdThe London Gardener Ltd
Small garden in Brixton designed for young children and sophisticated enough to link in style with the new kitchen extension/remodelled house. Artificial grass was combined with scented Lavender and Trachleospermum with year round structure from standard Olea (Olive) trees and Magnolia Grandiflora. Cedar slats were used for the fencing to give a clean and modern line. A lovely low maintenance garden!
Contemporary Home and Garden
Contemporary Home and Garden
Montecito LandscapeMontecito Landscape
Lisa Cullen: This French stone fountain provides a beautiful focal point in the garden of contempory home. It is filled with drought tolerant perennials: agave, pittosporum tobira, nepeta, salvia mystic spires and dymondia
Mountain View, California - Wong Residence
Mountain View, California - Wong Residence
Taproot Garden DesignTaproot Garden Design
Patrick & Topaze McCaffery - Taproot Garden Design & Fine Gardening "The air conditioning unit is hidden by beautiful Ipe wood fencing. The Ipe wood raised planter box produces plenty of peppers and herbs for the family."
Bed-Stuy Townhouse Backyard Garden
Bed-Stuy Townhouse Backyard Garden
Staghorn NYCStaghorn NYC
Landscape designed, built and installed by Staghorn NYC. This family-friendly backyard has a central lawn with synthetic turf (pet-friendly!), a back border garden of evergreens and perennials, and a custom concrete and reclaimed wood planter with seating edge. Landscape uplighting amidst the plantings and string lights make this space just as fun and functional after the sun goes down.
Welcoming Garden Gate
Welcoming Garden Gate
Regenesis Ecological DesignRegenesis Ecological Design
Welcoming wooden garden gate and natural locally sourced flagstone pathway through bunch grasses and drought tolerant plantings.
Design ideas for a medium sized contemporary back full sun garden for summer in Other with natural stone paving and a garden path.
Contemporary Landscape - Dramatic Transformation - San Rafael, CA
Contemporary Landscape - Dramatic Transformation - San Rafael, CA
Dig Your Garden Landscape DesignDig Your Garden Landscape Design
Plant focus: Lomandra longifolia 'Breeze'. SEE PHOTOS TAKEN AFTER 2 YEARS. This San Rafael front landscape has been dramatically updated with a welcoming concrete pathway entrance, and complimented by a variety of architectural plants, hardy succulents, textural grasses and a majestic, fruitless olive tree. The dramatic transformation is enhanced by a raised corten steel planter at the pathway entrance with gravel and succulents. Two horizontal ipe wood structures provide contemporary accents. New raised concrete planters alongside the new concrete driveway define the property and showcase more colorful succulents. A beautiful gray house paint color and ipe accents complete the remodel. Drawings, Design and Photos © Eileen Kelly, Dig Your Garden Landscape Design
Burnside
Burnside
David Baptiste Garden DesignDavid Baptiste Garden Design
Inspiration for a contemporary courtyard xeriscape full sun garden in Adelaide with decking.
Garden for a barn conversion
Garden for a barn conversion
Joanne Alderson DesignJoanne Alderson Design
Modern courtyard garden for a barn conversion designed by Jo Alderson Phillips @ Joanne Alderson Design, Built by Tom & the team at TS Landscapes & photographed by James Wilson @ JAW Photography
Casa JCh
Casa JCh
Eduardo Mascagni ValeroEduardo Mascagni Valero
Eduardo Mascagni
Medium sized contemporary front driveway full sun garden for autumn in Other with a garden path and natural stone paving.
Fulham Garden 2
Fulham Garden 2
Tom Howard Garden Design and LandscapingTom Howard Garden Design and Landscaping
Design ideas for a medium sized contemporary back formal full sun garden for summer in London with a living wall and natural stone paving.
Penthouse terrace
Penthouse terrace
Todd Haiman Landscape DesignTodd Haiman Landscape Design
Upper East Side Manhattan terrace garden with pergola, tv and kitchen ©toddhaimanlandscapedesign2015
Inspiration for a medium sized contemporary back full sun garden in New York with concrete paving.
Retaining wall lighting
Retaining wall lighting
LED OutdoorLED Outdoor
These classic surface mounted step lights create a lovely wash and accentuate the curve and texture of this wall.
Photo of a medium sized contemporary formal full sun garden in Adelaide with a retaining wall and natural stone paving.
Lincoln Park Herb Wall
Lincoln Park Herb Wall
Brent Riechers Landscape (BRL LANDesign)Brent Riechers Landscape (BRL LANDesign)
Brent A. Riechers
This is an example of a small contemporary roof full sun garden in Chicago with a vegetable patch.
Chelsea Creek Penthouse Roof Terrace
Chelsea Creek Penthouse Roof Terrace
Aralia: Innovation in Landscape DesignAralia: Innovation in Landscape Design
Chelsea Creek is the pinnacle of sophisticated living, these penthouse collection gardens, featuring stunning contemporary exteriors are London’s most elegant new dockside development, by St George Central London, they are due to be built in Autumn 2014 Following on from the success of her stunning contemporary Rooftop Garden at RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2012, Patricia Fox was commissioned by St George to design a series of rooftop gardens for their Penthouse Collection in London. Working alongside Tara Bernerd who has designed the interiors, and Broadway Malyon Architects, Patricia and her team have designed a series of London rooftop gardens, which although individually unique, have an underlying design thread, which runs throughout the whole series, providing a unified scheme across the development. Inspiration was taken from both the architecture of the building, and from the interiors, and Aralia working as Landscape Architects developed a series of Mood Boards depicting materials, features, art and planting. This groundbreaking series of London rooftop gardens embraces the very latest in garden design, encompassing quality natural materials such as corten steel, granite and shot blasted glass, whilst introducing contemporary state of the art outdoor kitchens, outdoor fireplaces, water features and green walls. Garden Art also has a key focus within these London gardens, with the introduction of specially commissioned pieces for stone sculptures and unique glass art. The linear hard landscape design, with fluid rivers of under lit glass, relate beautifully to the linearity of the canals below. The design for the soft landscaping schemes were challenging – the gardens needed to be relatively low maintenance, they needed to stand up to the harsh environment of a London rooftop location, whilst also still providing seasonality and all year interest. The planting scheme is linear, and highly contemporary in nature, evergreen planting provides all year structure and form, with warm rusts and burnt orange flower head’s providing a splash of seasonal colour, complementary to the features throughout. Finally, an exquisite lighting scheme has been designed by Lighting IQ to define and enhance the rooftop spaces, and to provide beautiful night time lighting which provides the perfect ambiance for entertaining and relaxing in. Aralia worked as Landscape Architects working within a multi-disciplinary consultant team which included Architects, Structural Engineers, Cost Consultants and a range of sub-contractors.
Renwick
Renwick
Ananda LandscapesAnanda Landscapes
Photo of an expansive contemporary back full sun garden in Calgary with a fire feature and natural stone paving.
inner west entertainer
inner west entertainer
inovasis designinovasis design
Domain
Inspiration for a medium sized contemporary back full sun garden in Sydney with decking.

Contemporary Full Sun Garden Ideas and Designs

A beautifully designed contemporary garden is as important as the emphasis we place on the designs of our interiors. After all, our grounds (however modest) frame our homes and contribute to first impressions not only of our houses, but also of the households within. Options for garden designs can be as elaborate or low maintenance as your lifestyle and preferences permit – consider both your aspirations for how it should look and how much time you can invest in garden maintenance. Consulting a gardener or landscape designer will ensure you have a garden that suits your lifestyle, the local climate and soil conditions. But don’t forget that with Houzz your first stop can be collecting images of garden ideas and designs you love in order to inspire your garden plans and potentially share them with a landscape gardening professional.

How do I come up with a contemporary front garden design?

The priority for a front garden is kerb appeal. Begin by considering the area immediately around and leading up to your front door. You may want to opt for front garden designs that blend well with the style of your home – for example, abundant foliage and flowerbeds will perfectly complement a period property, whereas man-made materials, geometric shapes and contrasting textures are great ideas for a contemporary garden design. Even if your front garden is a small space, keep it tidy – if you have more space, make the most of it with garden ideas and features such as a manicured lawn, gravel driveway, water feature or garden fencing. If you don’t have the time or commitment to devote to gardening, then neatly pruned hedges, statement paving, hanging baskets, garden benches and outdoor lighting are all decorative, low maintenance garden ideas for your contemporary front garden design.

How should I design my contemporary back garden?

Back gardens typically offer more space than front garden designs and serve a more recreational purpose, so it’s important to know how you want to spend time in your garden before you design it in order to build in the features that you will enjoy. If you love relaxing in the garden and dining al fresco, think about patios, decking, garden furniture and BBQs. For the more horticulturally-inclined, incorporate flower beds, greenhouses or vegetable garden designs. Your landscape gardening professional can help you install structures such as sheds, pergolas and gazebos that complement your garden design, and artfully-placed garden ideas such as lawn edging and lighting will add definition to your chosen design.

How do I create a low maintenance garden?

The great news is, gardens aren’t exclusively for the green-fingered. Whether you’re not horticulturally-inclined or simply don’t have the time for a bit of landscape gardening, you can still have a contemporary garden design that looks the way you want by making some smart design choices. While many of us favour low maintenance gardens like urban gardens, roof terraces and patio gardens, lovers of greenery don’t need to sacrifice grass for paving slabs. Whatever you want from your garden, there are a variety of gardening solutions that can be built in to make life easier. For example, labour intensive features such as vegetable patches, greenhouses and flower beds can be optimised with an automatic irrigation system. These can be offset with fuss-free garden ideas such as hard landscaping, including gravel, paving or decking, and hard-wearing evergreens that require minimal upkeep. You might even consider replacing your garden fencing with slow growing hedging, which can be maintained less regularly than wooden fence panels. If having a lawn is important, there are different types of grasses in varying degrees of durability and maintenance. You may choose to take a more relaxed approach to your lawn – “wild” garden designs can have great charm if the grasses and flowers are chosen carefully. If you prefer a manicured lawn, it’s a good idea to invest in a “mulching” lawn mower that will recycle clippings and remove the need for cleaning up. Finally, there isn’t a more low maintenance garden lawn than artificial grass which can look highly realistic and keep your garden looking green. Garden ornaments are a great way to add interest to your low maintenance garden design – go for smart garden ideas such as solar garden lights which are both decorative and functional. Find some of the most popular design ideas on Houzz.
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