MODERN GARDEN DESIGN
Free quotes for the design & installation of contemporary style gardens
PROFESSIONAL MODERN GARDEN DESIGN & INSTALLATION
We design and install modern gardens in and around Carlisle, Wigton, Brampton, the North Lakes, the Eden Valley and along the Solway Coast, as well as parts of south-west Scotland and east-Northumbria.
Other projects further into the Lake District, Scotland and Northumbria are welcomed and will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
We provide free quotes with no obligation for all modern garden design and landscaping projects.
WHAT MAKES A GARDEN MODERN?
A perfect modern garden is one which portrays a contemporary personality, showcasing the tastes of the homeowner, and creates a clinical but welcoming space to relax.
Simplicity
A modern or contemporary garden is typically characterised by its sleek, streamlined and sophisticated appearance - derived from the simplicity of Asian garden design.
Architecture
A modern garden emphasises its inherent architecture and build materials over the more traditional focus on a garden's foliage through vertical structural elements.
Discipline
Use of geometric shapes and repeating patterns are designed to create a garden that has a controlled, disciplined and organised appearance.
Hard & Softscaping
Modern gardens are generally lower in maintenance demands by relying on hardscaping and softscaping to achieve a minimalist look.
Contrast
Modern gardens only use foliage strategically and sparingly to accentuate a contrast in colour and texture.
PRINCIPLES OF MODERN GARDENS
Achieving a sleek, contemporary appearance in a garden isn't a random exercise hoping things will fall into place. While there are no hard and fast rules, there are some basic principles which should generally be followed.
Planting Styles
There are two extreme routes used by designers in modern gardens. One tactic is to neatly set out straight, organised lines of sculpted, clipped plants to emphasise the clean, linear nature of the hardscaped layout. Yet this type of planting style doesn't work for everybody and can seem unatural. Sometimes using plants with a more loose and lively personality can help soften the landscape and introduce more of a sense of playfulness and personality.
Use of perennial flowers can introduce a warmth of colour, though they can appear particularly 'messy' if over-used so they need to be used very strategically.
Connecting Plants
The outer fringes of planted areas can be weaved to blur the lines between the areas and the backdrop of the garden.
The Importance of Warmth
Some modern gardens can feel sterile and lifeless in the absence of warmth to soften their appearance in the right places.
Colour can even be introduced through the use of certain types of wood or weathered, rusted steel as the basis for features or structures such as retaining walls.
Effective Lighting
Contemporary gardens are often designed to act as an extension of its home. The lifestyles of modern homeowners and families often mean that their most frequent use of a garden is from early evening.
The features of a modern garden are key to effectiveness of the lighting being used. They are utilised to cast shadows into the vacant spaces around the garden at night.
Flourishes & Touches
A modern garden design should culminate seamlessly in a perfect melting pot of its focal points, structures, furnishings, plants and space. Other such flourishes come from of nature - such as water features.
By nature, water features are sculpted, defined items which can either portray an ornate, traditional and fussy image or a more streamlined, shiny and contemporary appearance - only the latter of which would compliment a truly modern garden. Adding personality through the installation of enigmatic flourishes and touches without destroying the clinical aesthetic is tricky.
Balance Of Hardscaping & Softscaping
Typical options which require little in the way of regular maintenance include artificial grass, patios, decking, gravel/shillies and more recently, resin. The one surface which does of course require more frequent maintenance is a natural lawn garden.
IDEAS FOR MODERN GARDENS
Designing and envisioning a modern garden can be tricky when starting from scratch. Having a blank canvas can be daunting without having a relatively clear vision of what you want to achieve. That said, the solutions themselves are simple and linear to arrange - whether it be lining a straight pathway through a garden, placing a suitable water feature in the right place and setting out perimiter beds to house simple foliage.
Here are some fantastic examples of well designed and installed modern gardens to use as inspiration.
The sleek materials and clinical appearance of modern landscaping can feel cold or uninviting if executed badly; but with the right balance of organisation and softeners it is easily possible to create a garden which is friendly and inviting, as well as personalised and artful.
MORE GARDEN DESIGNS
Low Maintenance Gardens
Hassle-free outdoor spaces
Lounge & Dining Gardens
Gardens for outdoor living
Decked Gardens
Gardens with prominent decking