Contemporary Landscape Design
What is contemporary landscape design?
Not quite Modern landscape design and not quite classic landscape design but a melding of the two for sure. Contemporary Landscape design uses modern materials in its application but still has a warmer feel and usually more detail than the pure modern design. For example a modern concrete patio may have a completely slick finish with no details in its finish or just smooth were a contemporary concrete patio might have some scoring texture and depth of color but have the same design layout pattern. A contemporary landscape may have a more traditional approach to plantings with curves and groupings of natural planting patterns but much more simplified than the English landscape garden and in contrast to the modern landscape having a pure approach with only two or three blocks of planting.
What are the design principles involved in Contemporary Landscape Design?
Contemporary landscape design encompasses design principles of axial relationships with modern principles of form-follows-function so it is really classic modernism! This same approach applies to materials as well; there is a much more conservative more traditional approach to Contemporary selection of materials.
How do we create a Contemporary Landscape Design if it’s a cross between Modern Landscape Designs and the more classic?
As in Modern Landscape Design, it is still important that form follows function. The best way to think of Contemporary Landscape design is creating places that respond to today’s lifestyle with the beauty, simplicity and refinement of natural and modern materials and technologies currently available. We are bringing the functionality of modern space together with the warmth of traditional materials.If it’s not Modern, what is important about today’s Technologies in Contemporary Landscape Design? For example concrete no longer has to look stark or plain which may be desirable in the purely modern approach. We can now add multiple colors, textures, troweling and finishes creating a warm inviting effect. In contrast, there are many stone Vanier’s available on mesh that allow us to create a more modern finish than we would have been able to create in the past with sections of larger cut stone. One of the stylistic trend shifts that has taken place is brushed stainless steel is no longer considered modern, so now we see brushed metals making there way into more classic design applications.What would you consider appropriate for materials
Contemporary Landscape Design materials?
I don’t think there are any hard and fast rules here except to consider simplicity and ease of maintenance. The difference as explained above in the way we layout plants could be explained as using more “natural” bands than the purely more geometric approach usually incorporated into Modern Landscape Design. In Contemporary Landscape Design don’t shy away from using planters for color and accent plants since we want to create a sense of more scale and detail than the purely modern approach.
Final tips on Contemporary Landscape Design:
• Outdoor patios and decks for living. The California mantra applies here, “create outdoor spaces for living.” This idea originated with Modern Landscape Design and now is the norm. Extend the inside out; create plenty of different seating opportunities, and interesting focal features such as urns with color plants or small ornamental trees that can be accented with night lighting.
• Outdoor kitchens. As centers for outdoor entertainment as well as a focal feature. Outdoor kitchens can extend the indoor living space outside as well as create the second kitchen of the southern home to be used regularly.
• Luxury swimming pools. When it comes to integrating new technologies and the application of natural materials, luxury swimming pools give us the ability to really push the boundaries. With new concrete deck finishes available, various coping materials such as composite stone or cultured stones there is ample opportunity for warm finishes. Contemporary swimming pools can have built in water features creating an outdoor water fountain that eliminates building a separate water feature while adding functional, usable art as part of the overall pools function.
Don’t be afraid, go Contemporary
Remember-you are creating modern space for today’s busy lifestyles with classic and simplistic finishes available through new technologies now go for it!
Not quite Modern landscape design and not quite classic landscape design but a melding of the two for sure. Contemporary Landscape design uses modern materials in its application but still has a warmer feel and usually more detail than the pure modern design. For example a modern concrete patio may have a completely slick finish with no details in its finish or just smooth were a contemporary concrete patio might have some scoring texture and depth of color but have the same design layout pattern. A contemporary landscape may have a more traditional approach to plantings with curves and groupings of natural planting patterns but much more simplified than the English landscape garden and in contrast to the modern landscape having a pure approach with only two or three blocks of planting.What are the design principles involved in Contemporary Landscape Design?
Contemporary landscape design encompasses design principles of axial relationships with modern principles of form-follows-function so it is really classic modernism! This same approach applies to materials as well; there is a much more conservative more traditional approach to Contemporary selection of materials.
How do we create a Contemporary Landscape Design if it’s a cross between Modern Landscape Designs and the more classic?
As in Modern Landscape Design, it is still important that form follows function. The best way to think of Contemporary Landscape design is creating places that respond to today’s lifestyle with the beauty, simplicity and refinement of natural and modern materials and technologies currently available. We are bringing the functionality of modern space together with the warmth of traditional materials.If it’s not Modern, what is important about today’s Technologies in Contemporary Landscape Design? For example concrete no longer has to look stark or plain which may be desirable in the purely modern approach. We can now add multiple colors, textures, troweling and finishes creating a warm inviting effect. In contrast, there are many stone Vanier’s available on mesh that allow us to create a more modern finish than we would have been able to create in the past with sections of larger cut stone. One of the stylistic trend shifts that has taken place is brushed stainless steel is no longer considered modern, so now we see brushed metals making there way into more classic design applications.What would you consider appropriate for materials
Contemporary Landscape Design materials?
I don’t think there are any hard and fast rules here except to consider simplicity and ease of maintenance. The difference as explained above in the way we layout plants could be explained as using more “natural” bands than the purely more geometric approach usually incorporated into Modern Landscape Design. In Contemporary Landscape Design don’t shy away from using planters for color and accent plants since we want to create a sense of more scale and detail than the purely modern approach.
Final tips on Contemporary Landscape Design:
• Outdoor patios and decks for living. The California mantra applies here, “create outdoor spaces for living.” This idea originated with Modern Landscape Design and now is the norm. Extend the inside out; create plenty of different seating opportunities, and interesting focal features such as urns with color plants or small ornamental trees that can be accented with night lighting.
• Outdoor kitchens. As centers for outdoor entertainment as well as a focal feature. Outdoor kitchens can extend the indoor living space outside as well as create the second kitchen of the southern home to be used regularly.
• Luxury swimming pools. When it comes to integrating new technologies and the application of natural materials, luxury swimming pools give us the ability to really push the boundaries. With new concrete deck finishes available, various coping materials such as composite stone or cultured stones there is ample opportunity for warm finishes. Contemporary swimming pools can have built in water features creating an outdoor water fountain that eliminates building a separate water feature while adding functional, usable art as part of the overall pools function.
Don’t be afraid, go Contemporary
Remember-you are creating modern space for today’s busy lifestyles with classic and simplistic finishes available through new technologies now go for it!
Labels: Contemporary Landsape Design
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