Modern Garden Design Ideas To Renovate Your Space
Modern garden design focuses on simplicity, clean lines, and neutral colour schemes, making it a universal trend. The focus on simplicity and minimalism ensures that all modern gardens, regardless of their size, look impressive.
For those seeking a seamless balance of aesthetic appeal and functionality, modern garden design is the right choice. This particular trend can help you make the most of your outdoor space and craft a low-maintenance, attractive environment the whole family will enjoy.
As a leading garden design company, Urban Landscapes is sharing some of the best modern garden design ideas to get you inspired and help you transform your landscape.
Modern Garden Design Ideas For Hardscaping
Hardscaped areas, such as paving, patios and decking, are a great way to create a functional outdoor space. With the Great British weather, spending time outdoors can be tricky if you only have lawn and flower beds. Hardscape areas not only make the environment accessible and suitable for all-weather use but also enhance the visual appeal.
With a beautiful balance of lush natural elements and sleek paving, you can create a truly breathtaking modern garden. Modern garden design ideas typically revolve around specific hardscape materials, such as:
- Porcelain Paving: Ideal for pathways and garden patios, porcelain is a staple of modern garden design ideas. This is an elegant, durable material that is low maintenance and customisable with a range of colours available.
- Composite Decking: A great alternative to traditional wooden decking, composite is a sustainable and hard-wearing material that can create a beautifully modern outdoor space.
- Corten Steel: This metal is designed to rust over time, adding a pop of colour to simple modern garden design ideas while also creating interest. Corten steel can be used in a range of ways, from hardscape areas to garden sculptures and furniture to complement the design.
- Concrete Paving And Sculptures: Concrete is a great paving material that can be used to craft pathways, patios and even driveways for modern garden design ideas. It is also a wonderful decorative tool, used to create modern sculptures and decor items in geometric shapes to complement your contemporary outdoor space.
- Glass Balustrades: Used to make decking or raised surfaces safe, or as a way to seal off specific areas of the garden without ruining the view, glass balustrades can offer an elegant finish touch to modern garden design ideas.
Planting Modern Garden Design Ideas
When creating a modern garden, the focus needs to remain on clean lines and geometric shapes. While this is most commonly created using hardscaping, there are specific plants that can also enhance the look.
Choosing plants that grow into architectural shapes can increase the appeal of your modern outdoor space, adding more interest through different colours, textures and scents. Some of the best modern garden design ideas for nature lovers and those looking to incorporate more plants into their outdoor space include:
- Agapanthus: This is a structural plant that develops globe-shaped flowers, adding some visual interest to the garden without interrupting the flow of your modern garden design. Phormium (New Zealand Flax): This plant has bold, spiky foliage that can create visual interest without overwhelming the minimalist design of contemporary outdoor spaces.
- Grasses: Plants such as Stipa tenuissima are some of the best modern garden ideas because they are extremely versatile. Grasses like this add movement and texture to the garden without incorporating too much colour, which will ruin the simplicity of the design.
- Evergreen Shrubs: Evergreen shrubs such as yew and boxwood ensure your modern garden has structure and greenery all year round. These plants remain lush throughout the seasons, delivering a consistent appearance to the landscape.
If you do want to include a variation of grasses and plants in modern garden design ideas, it is recommended that you use containers and pots. Simple pots in monochromatic colours, such as concrete planters, give you more flexibility within your garden design. Plants can be added and removed based on the time of year, while also moved around the landscape to ensure the best layout for your needs.
While modern garden design is simple and minimalistic, this does not mean it has to be boring. Using containers and raised planters allows some variation in the design, so you can put your own personal stamp on the landscape.
Creating A Low Maintenance Modern Garden
Low maintenance is a key factor in modern garden design as it ensures your garden remains consistent and attractive throughout the year.
Low-maintenance outdoor spaces are also highly popular with modern homeowners, because it means less time and money needs to be spent keeping the garden tidy. Instead, after busy routines and work schedules, people have more time to enjoy their garden, rather than having yet another task to complete.
This is why many modern garden design ideas focus on creating a low-maintenance landscape and ensuring all materials withstand the test of time. Some of the best low-maintenance solutions for your outdoor space include:
Replace Natural Lawns
Real grass takes a lot of work to maintain and is a year-round commitment, which is why many modern garden design ideas encourage replacing this section of the garden with something else.
If you still want the natural, green appearance to your garden, artificial turf is a great option. Alternatively, paving or patios can create a functional and low-maintenance garden, such as porcelain or gravel.
Native And Drought-Resistant Plants
Keeping your plants and flowers in prime condition is another ongoing commitment. Ongoing watering, fertilising, and aeration is needed to ensure your plants get the nutrients they need for healthy growth. Maintenance requirements also change based on the season, so you need to always be one step ahead when it comes to taking care of your garden.
As this requires a lot of work and attention, modern garden design ideas incorporate drought-resistant and native plants. Native plants are those which naturally grow, and thrive, in local conditions. This means no additional care is needed to keep these grasses, flowers, and plants healthy in your garden.
Drought-resistant plants, such as succulents, come from hot climates and can thrive on little to no water. These are a staple of modern gardens as the weather takes care of them for you – no additional care is needed to keep your outdoor space healthy and lush.
Automated Irrigation Systems
If you do choose to keep some areas of natural greenery in your modern garden, you can simplify maintenance through automated systems. Automated irrigation systems are a great tool for modern outdoor spaces because they handle the watering on your behalf.
Set on timers and schedules, these watering systems will provide your plants with the care needed throughout the year without any additional interference from you. Bar the occasional inspection and setting of the schedule, you can program your garden to take care of itself so you have more time to enjoy the wonderful outdoors.
Modern Garden Design Ideas For Small Spaces
Modern garden design is a great solution for landscapes of all sizes due to the focus on simplicity and minimalism. Modern gardens are designed to be simple, as there is a reduced amount of plants and decor to create the theme. Instead, modern garden design lets nature speak for itself and relies on reduced complements to enhance the appeal.
This is particularly useful for small gardens and can even give the illusion of a bigger space. Clutter and excessive decor will make your landscape look smaller than it is, which is why many small garden owners are opting for a more contemporary makeover.
To give the illusion of more space and incorporate modern garden design ideas into your small garden, consider the following:
- Use glass and mirrors to reflect light, opening up the landscape
- Rely on multi-functional furniture that is designed to last, such as outdoor seating and dining tables which can be used for all occasions
- Incorporate vertical planting or living walls to add greenery without compromising ground space
- Choose foldable or easily stored furniture, decor, and cooking equipment that can be pulled out when needed. This frees up space in the garden and makes it easier to maintain the simple, clean appearance
Conclusion
Modern garden design is a popular way to create a stunning outdoor space that is as functional as it is beautiful. This particular garden design trend continues to be a popular solution for homeowners, as it allows them to create simple, attractive, and easily maintained landscapes.
Modern garden design ideas can be used for gardens of all shapes and sizes. It is versatile and easy to achieve by focusing on hard-wearing materials, geometric planting, and simple colour schemes.
Contact Us Today
If you are ready to renovate your garden and create a modern masterpiece, you have come to the right place. Contact the team today to learn more or to request your consultation, and allow us to bring your vision to life.
