Modern Landscaping Ideas

This garden house was designed by owner and architect, Shirat Mavligit. The wooden section of outer wall is actually the outer section of a central volume that creates an enlarged open space bisecting the home interior. The windows create a view corridor within the home that allows visitors to see all the way through to the back yard. Occupants of the home looking out through these windows feel as if they are sitting in the middle of a garden. This architectural theme of volume and line of site is so powerful that it became the inspiration for the modern landscape design we developed in the front, back, and side yards of the property. We began by addressing the issue of too much open space in the front yard. It has no surrounding fence, and it faces a very busy street in Houston’s Rice Village Area. After careful study of the home façade, our team determined that the best way to set aside a large portion of private space in front of the home was to construct a landscape berm. This land art form adds a sense of dimension and psychological boundary to the scene. It is built of core 10 steel and stands 16 inches tall. This is just high enough for guests to sit on, and it provides an ideal sunbathing area for summer days. The sweeping contour of the berm offsets the rigid linearity of the home with a softer architectural detail. Its linear progression gives the modern landscape design a dynamic sense of movement. Moving to the back yard, we reinforced the home’s central volume and view corridor by laying a rectilinear line of gravel parallel to an equivalent section of grass. Near the corner of the house, we created a series of gravel stepping pads that lead guests from the gravel run, through the grass, and into a vegetable garden. The heavy use of gravel does several things. It communicates a sense of control by containing the vitality of the lawn within an inorganic, mathematically precise space. This feeling of contained life force is common in modern landscape design. This also adds the functional advantage of a low-maintenance space where only minimal lawn care is needed. Gravel also has its own unique aesthetic appeal. Its dark color compliments both the grass and the house, providing an ideal lead-in to the space of the vegetable garden. This same rectilinear geometry was applied to the side yard, but the materials were reversed to add dramatic effect. Here, the field is gravel, and the stepping pads are made from grass. Heavy gauge steel planters were set into the gravel to house separate plantings of Zoysia. The pads run from the library to the kitchen, allowing visitors to travel between the two as if they are walking on a floor decorated with grass. The lawn in all three yards is planted with Zoysia grass. This species of grass is frequently used in modern landscape design because it requires only moderate amounts of water to retain its exceptionally fine texture. When mowed, it presents a clean, well-manicured lawn that compliments the conservatism of the home.
Minimalist yard with lawn and bushes. NO yucky yuccas or spiky plants. - bjrhenry55

Marion Brenner
Photo of a modern landscaping in San Francisco.
woodland path with low rock wall edge - sonny62

Jeremy Bitterman
Photo of a modern partial sun front yard concrete paver garden path in Portland.
Rocks in the pot with the tree. Rocks around the maple tree out front - howtru

Jaime Kowal
Inspiration for a modern partial sun concrete paver water fountain landscape in Seattle.
i like the modernness of it 1-23-19 - natalie_barton67

Inspiration for a mid-sized modern full sun front yard concrete paver landscaping in Los Angeles.
The brown fence for around the pool pump - gosteph76

Inspiration for a large modern drought-tolerant and full sun hillside gravel retaining wall landscape in San Francisco.
Grass at the bottom for the front yard. Daniella 'Little Rev' - shreyasramaswamy

photo by Seed Studio, editing by TR PhotoStudio
Photo of a small modern drought-tolerant and full sun backyard gravel landscaping in San Francisco with a fire pit.
we like this multi level setup given our slope, but would like turf instead of gravel/stones - vineet_v

This is an example of a modern partial sun landscaping in Austin with a fire pit.
Narrow slot for fire is my preference. - grazianos

This is an example of a modern hillside gravel landscaping in Los Angeles.
I love how this house is in the middle of the woods, adds to the nature vibe! - webuser_656880908

Neil Michael - Axiom Photography
Inspiration for a small modern shade courtyard landscaping in Sacramento.
Built in fire pit/pavers & rock w/deck - strauss1785

Hanging Bird Cafe provides a modern feeder for feathered friends who want to call your garden their home. Designed to hang from a tree branch or horizontal support. A modern/rustic habitat the hippest birds are tweeting about!
Lovely Art/birdfeeder - susan_carle

This is an example of a modern partial sun concrete paver garden path in San Diego.
Backyard. Tree enclosure, elevated and the cement block becomes a bench - jeremy_quang

Studio H Landscape Architecture
This is an example of a small modern drought-tolerant and partial sun backyard concrete paver landscaping in Orange County.
Love the patio lined with mulch and stones - cldragland

Leland Gebhardt
Photo of a mid-sized modern full sun front yard formal garden in Phoenix.
I love the rusted metal and the two levels. - stacy_gould

Inspiration for a modern shade side yard landscaping in Portland.
Walkway to front door. Structured. - bruce7881

This is an example of a mid-sized modern shade front yard concrete paver driveway in Seattle.
Landscaping planters with bamboo - dkeblys

Design ideas for a modern landscaping in San Diego.

This is an example of a modern landscaping in San Diego.
along fence outside dining room - megordo