June 13, 2009 7:21 PM
We are familiar with decorating our homes with interior design. But you can also dress up the landscape with exterior design. Plants may be the mainstay of your landscape. And the hardscape (comprised of the permanent features) is the framework that will shape the look and function of that landscape. But the finishing touches can make a tremendous difference to the success of a garden look. It’s rather like choosing all those fun items like furniture, floor coverings, vases and pictures for interior design. You can create much of the look of your landscape by the materials and design used in walls, garden floors and landscape décor.
The “walls” of your exterior design can come in many sizes and shapes. Fences help keep in what you want and keep out what you don’t. But they also set the tone for the garden they enclose. There are many materials that can be used for walls. Block walls are often used for solid boundaries and privacy. But these can be handled creatively by using unusual topping blocks, by painting murals, by finishing them with interesting textures or colors, or by stacking them with ‘window’ holes or varied heights designed into the construction. Wooden fences can be dog-eared wood, lattice, or railings of various styles. Sometimes you can enhance a theme with the choice of fence. For example, a white picket fence is ideal for the cottage garden. A bamboo fence can enhance an Asian design and a rustic wooden fence is perfect for the ‘home on the range’.
Doors and gates are more than simple ways in and out. They are fine practical considerations, but they are also artistic opportunities. Use them to enhance your landscape design. Main entries can be focal points with formal gates, soaring archways or ornate metal work. Smaller entries can create areas within areas. Unusual gates and doors can be specially sculpted designs by artists, or cleverly re-adapted horse stall doors, recycled old doors from old houses, or brightly painted hung doors. You can even paint a faux door on a wall to give the illusion of a new way out! There are so many ways to dress up your landscape.
The “walls” of your exterior design can come in many sizes and shapes. Fences help keep in what you want and keep out what you don’t. But they also set the tone for the garden they enclose. There are many materials that can be used for walls. Block walls are often used for solid boundaries and privacy. But these can be handled creatively by using unusual topping blocks, by painting murals, by finishing them with interesting textures or colors, or by stacking them with ‘window’ holes or varied heights designed into the construction. Wooden fences can be dog-eared wood, lattice, or railings of various styles. Sometimes you can enhance a theme with the choice of fence. For example, a white picket fence is ideal for the cottage garden. A bamboo fence can enhance an Asian design and a rustic wooden fence is perfect for the ‘home on the range’.
Doors and gates are more than simple ways in and out. They are fine practical considerations, but they are also artistic opportunities. Use them to enhance your landscape design. Main entries can be focal points with formal gates, soaring archways or ornate metal work. Smaller entries can create areas within areas. Unusual gates and doors can be specially sculpted designs by artists, or cleverly re-adapted horse stall doors, recycled old doors from old houses, or brightly painted hung doors. You can even paint a faux door on a wall to give the illusion of a new way out! There are so many ways to dress up your landscape.
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