Contemporary Garden Ideas and Designs

Contemporary Landscape - Dramatic Transformation - San Rafael, CA

Close up of a planting bed with succulents, cared grasses, and other architectural plants. Complimented by the gray concrete pavers and Mexican pebbles. 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

Lincoln Park Herb Wall

Brent Riechers Landscape (BRL LANDesign)

Brent A. Riechers
Inspiration for a small contemporary roof full sun garden in Chicago with a vegetable patch.

John and Sarah's backyard renovation

Landscape East & West

Stephen Cridland
This is an example of a medium sized contemporary back formal partial sun garden in Portland with concrete paving and a pond.

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House in Epsom

Eldridge London

Stainless steel slide set into terraced landscape of triangular cedar clad planters and steps, with children's sandpit. Photography: Lyndon Douglas
Design ideas for a contemporary garden in London with a climbing frame.

Front Yards

Terrain Landscape

Lance Parker
Photo of a contemporary garden in Orange County.

London town garden

Arthur Road Landscapes

Inspiration for a contemporary garden in London.

Quiet Reflection Landscape

Krent Wieland Design, Inc.

Contemporary garden in Miami.

Outdoor Learning Center

Integrated Design Studio, Inc.

raised veggie beds, sun dial, concrete walls
Photo of a contemporary garden in San Francisco.

Atherton, CA / Art Installation

Laurie Ghielmetti

Design ideas for a large contemporary back formal full sun garden in San Francisco with gravel.

Brooklyn NYC Townhouse Landscape Design: Backyard, Artificial Turf, Fence, Lands

Amber Freda Garden Design

This contemporary Boerum Hill, Brooklyn backyard features an ipe fence, bluestone patio, artificial turf lawn, and a neatly lined up row of hornbeam trees. Artificial turf has come a long way in recent years and is much more realistic looking than it used to be. Read more about this garden on my blog, www.amberfreda.com.

Houston Patio With Built-in Big Green Egg "Nest"

InnovationLand

This covered patio and outdoor kitchen by Outdoor Homescapes of Houston features a Big Green Egg kamado style grill and its "nest" built into a natural stone island along with an RCS grill and double burner. The countertops are granite and the floor is concrete pavers. www.outdoorhomescapes.com

Landscapes

Decorative Landscaping

Inspiration for a contemporary back garden in Salt Lake City with an outdoor sport court and lawn edging.

2013 ALE: The Waverly Residence

Pennsylvania Landscape & Nursery Association

Kalinosky Landscaping Inc. http://www.kalinoskylandscapinginc.com/ Project Entry: The Waverly Residence 2013 PLNA Awards for Landscape Excellence Winner Category: Residential $60,000 & Over Award Level: Honorable Mention Project Description: The residence is located in an upscale suburban sub-division in Northeastern Pennsylvania. The home was designed by an architect from California and is decidingly modern and abstract compared to neighboring homes. The architect was direct in his charge that the landscape be bold, colorful and modern, similar to projects he has worked on in California where the climate and culture allows. The owners embraced this concept adding only that privacy was important. Our main challenge was to find ways to provide the desired spirited and colorful landscape utilizing cooler climate plantings, and to push the limits on the abstract hardscape design without alienating the conservative community. We believe we have achieved our goals as both the demanding architect and discerning homeowners are extremely pleased with the results. This modern landscape has also been embraced by the community. Relative to site problems and scope, we had extensive drainage issues and encountered solid rock near or at the surface. We hydro-hammered out layers of rock to allow the installation of several feet of topsoil and an extensive network of drain tiles to evacuate water constantly flowing from springs we encountered. The topsoil was stripped from the site prior to the start of construction and stored on an adjacent lot. We utilized a portable screening plant, processing the topsoil and adding about 1500 tons of additional purchased topsoil. We designed a modern and abstract concrete wall system to separate the public and private spaces in the front of the residence. A people court was designed again utilizing concrete walls to articulate this space and provide a private environment for our clients. This space is viewed and accessed from the bedroom and entry areas of the home. We added a simple water feature of appropriate volume to provide sound, and at night illuminated reflecting qualities to the people court. Extensive screening was utilized to softly cloister the home and screen a large solar array that provides electricity for the home. A lush, almost tropical looking planting was provided for a large sunken area to offer relief to the lower living spaces. A rear terrace was constructed of exposed aggregate concrete. Near this terrace is a bold, modem, concrete water feature and a gas fire pit. The gas fire pit was custom built by a firm in Colorado utilizing hand-hammered metal and heat induced patinas. This terrace overlooks the sloped perennial garden. We finished the rear space with a calm stone arrangement emerging from raked pea gravel dry lake. This viewed from a stone bench we constructed of thermalled bluestone. An extensive highly technical lighting system was installed utilizing bronze fixtures controlled by an array of computer linked touch pads throughout the home. An infinitely controllable irrigation system with over twenty-five zones was installed. This coupled to a dedicated deep drilled well provides stability during dry periods. Specimen trees and shrubs were brought in from nurseries throughout the country. We specified only the finest we could find. This has given the site a feel of maturity while being quite young. Photo Credit: Kalinosky Landscaping Inc.

Contemporary Landscape

DK Design

Photo of a contemporary back garden in Little Rock with a potted garden and gravel.

Plusen Landscape Architects

Photo by: Danielle Quigley Photography
Contemporary sloped garden in DC Metro with natural stone paving.

Personal space

User

Andrew Murray
This is an example of a contemporary garden in Melbourne.

Pottery in the Garden

Bliss Garden Design, LLC

Bliss Garden Design
This is an example of a contemporary back garden for autumn in Seattle with a potted garden and gravel.

Bellevue Water Feature Design

Environmental Construction, Inc.

Elegant water feature surrounded by ornamental trees and grasses welcome visitors to the Bellevue home. Designed by Environmental Construction, Kirkland, WA

Lake Washington

User

M&K Gardens
This is an example of a contemporary sloped garden seating in Seattle with a retaining wall.

Contemporary 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.

Contemporary Landscape

Photo of a contemporary garden in Seattle with a flowerbed.

United Kingdom

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