Tag: landscape design
Feels like summer!
AtHome Garden Issue
Many thanks to AtHome in Fairfield County for featuring our potting shed design in their latest issue! Please pick up a copy today to check out the full editorial — so many gorgeous photos of this special project!
Planters
One great way to incorporate greenery is with planters.
Sometimes the spring/summer season sneaks up on you, but you can’t neglect the task of beautifying your patio or deck. One great way to incorporate greenery is with planters. With such a range of sizes and styles available, you can really say something with planters.
When choosing planters, you can find something that provides contrast or select pieces that blend with the architecture, outdoors or indoors. There is such a variety of textures, colors, and shapes of planters –big pots filled with gorgeous plants make a major statement in a great room or sun room. Or, you can group smaller planters together on a wall, the stairs, or a console.
You can further customize planters with what you fill them with. The contents of your planters have just as much potential for variety, from flowers and herbs to trees and tall grasses. When choosing plants, take into consideration their height, texture, and color. Some plants repel pests while others make pleasant sounds when the wind moves through them.
How do you decorate with planters?
Swimming Pools
When it comes to swimming pools, I prefer designs that are an integration of the home’s architecture.
When it comes to swimming pools, I prefer designs that are an integration of the home’s architecture. For me, the pool has to be parallel with the home’s interior — I gravitate toward designs that are very structured. Infinity pools are hot right now if you have the environment for one. The landscape around the pool can complement the style of the pool or have a more organic feel. Here are some examples of gorgeous swimming pools.
What does your ideal swimming pool look like?
Design Dose
Summer night bliss.
Garden Follies
Garden follies are fantastic structures.
Garden follies are fantastic structures. They vary from other garden ornaments in that they imitate buildings and aren’t simply sculptures. Traditionally, follies are designed to look like ruins or temples, but they can also be extravagant, fanciful, and improbable. They’re an incredible way to create an otherworldly feel!
Many 18th Century European gardens included follies. A true garden folly has no purpose other than to embellish the garden. They weren’t built for storage or shelter, but simply existed as a stylish addition to the extensive manicured grounds owned by the wealthy. In fact, the world folly comes from the French word “folie,” meaning madness or silliness.
Even if you don’t have a traditional European garden, you can take inspiration from these amazing follies when designing your own landscape. Put a modern twist on the garden folly concept by creating unique structures in the garden or along a wooded path. A gazebo or loggia can also be designed with a nod to classic follies.
Would you consider adding a garden folly to your landscape?
Landscape Design Books
The arrival of spring and (hopefully!) warmer temperatures often inspires people to start thinking about gardening and landscaping.
The arrival of spring and (hopefully!) warmer temperatures often inspires people to start thinking about gardening and landscaping. I believe the outside of a home always has to relate to the inside — ideally, the interior designer and landscape architect will speak to each other to ensure the interior and exterior layouts relate to each other. Even though they are the domains of two different artists, the interior and exterior should be respectful to each other. I’m always aware of exterior elements when designing someone’s interior.
Landscape architecture books are a great source of inspiration when planning your exterior, whether you prefer a serene escape or a gathering place for friends and family. I highly recommend these six books as inspiration!
1. The Private Oasis: The Landscape Architecture of Edmund Hollander Design by Phillip Langdon
2. In the Garden by Stacy Bass
3. The Vertical Garden: From Nature to the City by Patrick Blanc
4. Landprints: The Landscape Design of Bernard Trainor by Susan Heeger and Bernard Trainor
5. Private Paradise: Contemporary American Gardens by Charlotte M. Frieze
6. The Landscape Designs of Doyle Herman Design Associates by Kathryn Herman and James Doyle. This one hasn’t been released yet, but it’s on my much-anticipated summer reading list!
Do you have any favorite landscape design books?