When you’re looking to overhaul your exterior space, it’s a good idea to consider what landscape design style you want. It could be an extension of what you already have in your home – a Japanese Zen garden style to match your Zen interior for example. If you’ve just recently moved into a beautiful new home and would like to start with the interior, check out our 20 popular interior design styles. But if you’re still making a decision as to what we’ve curated a list of 6 popular styles and brief descriptions to give you an idea.
Why choose a landscape design style?
It might not be immediately apparent, but landscaping your home exterior is an investment beyond a simple change of aesthetic. As plants tend to have specific environments where they thrive, what’s available might be limited. Your lifestyle may also affect what you’ll place in your space. While any style can be achieved in different ways, you’ll want something that feels natural and fits your lifestyle, and what you want activities you want to do in your space.
Formal/English
“Classic Elegance”
Formal landscape design style combines symmetry and repetition to create a tapered, organized space. Clipped hedges and topiaries create lines that lead your eyes to focal points. Statues, fountains, the focal points can be anything you want to draw attention to – your conversation pieces. To achieve the look, you can add topiaries and pottery with matching shapes, as repetition is key. For texture, you may find that using wood is great for fixtures such as gazebos and trellises. But to really emphasize the formal look, use stone. The polished aesthetic of cut stone will give your outside space a more polished and elegant look. Consider adding stone statues, urns, benches and even stone tiled flooring.
Tropical
“Lush and Colorful”
If you were to define tropical landscape design, paradise would be the perfect metaphor. You will see a lot of bright and bold colors, dazzling but still feeling calm and serene. Whether you want something that’s just warm and inviting, or lush and adventurous, there are many ways to design your tropical garden. Materials for decoration can be stone and wood, but don’t be afraid to explore other options, such as bamboo. You can also include similarly themed decorations, such as garden flamingos and colorful woven chairs. Make sure to add water features, as this not only helps the aesthetic, but also in maintaining moisture. Consider temperature as well when choosing plants and decorations for your tropical-themed garden.
Asian/Japanese
“Tranquil Serenity”
Despite its appearance, Japanese garden design isn’t limited to simply traditional motifs. Whether you would like a traditional or a more modern take on it, Japanese landscape design style invokes feelings of serene tranquility. While it’s not entirely essential to include, you can have bamboo plants, bamboo furniture, or even bamboo fixtures. It’s a versatile and durable material, and a beautiful plant that adds volume if that’s what you want. Stone is another common element, and you can use it as a gravel bed, or as a pathway. Depending on your taste, you can use polished stone for a more modern take. Water fixtures can complete the authentic feel, and add more life to your garden. A koi pond is a popular option for this, and opens up more opportunities to incorporate bamboo and stone.
Contemporary
“Sleek Sanctuary”
For a sleeker home exterior, you might opt for a contemporary landscape design style. It’s a trendy style if you’d like a garden with a bit of cosmopolitan flair, but still maintaining a peaceful vibe. Think of fixtures in your space framed in many different ways such as with lines of stone or gravel. Ornamental grasses can also provide the same partitioning effect. Shapes can take on straight lines for your planters, while other elements can curve – it’s a combination that maintains a sleek look. You can have beautiful curved deck chairs, modern geometric lighting fixtures, and a beautifully framed pool. Colors can greatly contrast between materials, greenery, or both. Grays you use can be partitioned between muted reds, and wood can be another great shade to add to your palette.
Country
“Rustic Harmony”
If you have a more traditional western taste, you can’t go wrong with a country landscape design style. Country style landscapes tend to be warm and inviting. Your classic vision of white picket fences definitely fall into the category, but it’s not limited to that. You can expect to have a myriad of colors from your plants, mostly in the warm spectrum. You’ll want winding paths with flower beds, and even include an arch and some iron or wooden benches. Gazebos make great focal points, with lush greenery to give it a warmer, cozier feel. For water features, you can have simple bird baths or ponds with some fish if you’d like even more life in your sanctuary. Wicker furniture can also be great additions for shaded areas such as your deck, with hanging planters and even a birdhouse.
Mediterranean
“Earthy Warmth”
Mediterranean landscape design style is perfect especially if you live in warmer climates, such as long the Florida gulf coast. Expect a warm palette, with heavy use of terra cotta, but don’t be limited by it. Mediterranean design has a wealth of choices. Tiles are common, and can give color variety to walls and floors. Wooden pergolas can extend shaded areas, and add even more color. Water features can provide you some excellent focal points, such as with classic Mediterranean fountains. Try adding canals lined with stone, gravel and succulents for additional scenery. Accents give you an even richer material and texture variety. Wrought iron and wicker are good additions, and you can even throw in some rugs and tapestries.