Features to include in a contemporary garden design
Starting a garden project is always exciting. There are many options to choose from, and the possibilities are endless, especially if you are starting from scratch and have a garden that has not been landscaped. Our Wakefield garden designers have experience taking a clean slate garden and creating a breathtaking garden design incorporating all the features on your wishlist. Whilst they often come up with bespoke designs, they usually consider specific garden styles and base their designs on them.
There are many garden design styles to choose from and in our previous article we discussed the traditional English garden design. Follow this link to find out more about the features of traditional English garden designs. The garden design style we will look into today is the contemporary design. But before we jump into what a contemporary garden should look like, we need to determine whether this style is the right one for you. And how better to do it than to explain exactly what it is?
Contemporary garden designs are usually very modern and sleek, with simple, clean lines. This style aims to make the space feel comfortable and welcoming and be functional but straightforward in terms of maintenance. Overall this style is unique and enables you to express your personality but keeps in line with the present-day feel. Our garden designers in Wakefield have put together a few features you should include in your contemporary garden.
Mixing materials to create a contemporary garden
When designing a contemporary garden, our garden designers in Wakefield need to consider the space they have available, the colours they will work with, and the materials they use. All these elements tie together and form the whole look. Some garden design styles are strict, whilst others have more room for personal interpretation. The contemporary style blurs the lines between home and garden and often tries to bring the outside in. Materials can be mixed, so there is room for experimental use of materials.
Using natural materials provides a different dynamic and helps your garden's features blend in better with the natural surroundings. Our Wakefield garden designers ensure not to overuse one type of material, especially if it only has one cool colour that may make the space feel uninviting and cold. Instead, they may decide to mix materials to add subtle colours to break up the monotony.
A great way to achieve this is by incorporating natural materials such as wood and rock or other exposed-looking material and then combining them with copper, steel and bronze. Using materials such as copper and steel gives a more industrial feel which adds an interesting contrast to the natural aspects of your garden.
The great thing about choosing a contemporary garden design is that there is room for interpretation. There are many options when it comes to the materials and colours that can be incorporated into your garden design. Our garden designers in Wakefield will always ensure that all materials used work well together from a design perspective and a budget perspective.
Different lighting features tie together dedicated garden spaces
Once the materials have been selected, it's about bringing them together in one design. Our Wakefield garden designers love working with dedicated spaces, especially in contemporary gardens. Splitting the garden into specific areas based on purpose increases functionality and can be visually appealing when designed well; however, it is important not to divide each section too much. It is essential to create a flow between each garden zone rather than making them feel separated from each other—our garden designers in Wakefield like lighting to create this sense of connectivity between areas.
Each zone of the garden that serves a particular purpose can be lit the same way to bring all sections together to link the areas, i.e. seating area, outdoor kitchen, BBQ, and kids' play area. For example, you could use light strips, wall-mounted LED light features, festoon lights, portable lanterns, or battery-powered pillar candles. For more lighting ideas for your garden click here.
Alternatively, you can only have ample lighting in the activity areas and have minor lighting between walkways. Incorporating different lighting features ties together all garden features and makes late nights in the garden even cosier.
Choosing the right plants for your contemporary garden design
Plants can have a significant visual impact on your garden, so it is essential that you choose the right plants for your style. Choosing various plants with many colours may make your space look busy and crowded, which could work for certain garden styles like the cottage style; however, this isn't right for the contemporary style. Our garden designers in Wakefield may suggest limiting the colour choice to one colour with one contrasting colour and planting in repeat patterns.
Green plants are often used in this garden style, but another colour can complement them. There are rarely multiple coloured flowers used in these designs. Keeping it to one or two colours makes it look more modern and can bring the garden together uniformly rather than making it seem uncoordinated and chaotic. Different planting patterns and trends can be used to tie the design together. For example, you may want to use a big box planter as the garden's focal point or wall-mounted planters.
Hopefully, you have now decided you want to turn your garden into a contemporary paradise. Or maybe you have another garden style in mind that you would prefer. Either way, your first step would be to get a plan for your garden. After all, you wouldn’t build a house without having an architect draw up a plan first, so why would you start a garden project without a garden design? Read more about why getting a garden design should be your first step here.
Get in contact with us today and we can put you in touch with our Wakefield garden designers. They can create a bespoke 3D garden design to start your journey to your garden transformation.
