David Burroughs
Small elegant front porch photo in Baltimore with a roof extension

Front entrances with curb appeal in various styles, sizes and budgets A patio space in the front yard makes for an amazingly function piece of real estate. A welcoming landscape design for front yard gardens, pathways, stairs, retaining walls, landscape lighting and even water features sets the tone for your home and also brings a good ROI when time to sell. Landscape Design & Photography by Melanie Rekola

Gardens of every sort are an opportunity to enjoy the beauty found outdoors, including the often over-looked vegetable garden. The use of a fence or enclosure of some sort is helpful in keeping the gardens fruits safe from the occasional dig-happy pet as well as less welcome marauders such as rabbits and deer. By enclosing the space the fence itself helps to create its own little world within.

Permeable driveway and gate to rear yard. Jason Liske, photographer
Design ideas for a contemporary front yard concrete paver driveway in San Francisco.

Photo of a large mid-century modern drought-tolerant and full sun front yard gravel landscaping in Los Angeles for spring.

This is an example of a contemporary front yard concrete paver landscaping in San Diego.

Behind the Tea House is a traditional Japanese raked garden. After much research we used bagged poultry grit in the raked garden. It had the perfect texture for raking. Gray granite cobbles and fashionettes were used for the border. A custom designed bamboo fence encloses the rear yard.

Design ideas for a mid-sized traditional partial sun front yard brick formal garden in Chicago.

Marion Brenner Photography
Example of a large minimalist front yard stone full sun patio design in San Francisco with a fire pit

Transitional tile screened-in front porch idea in Seattle with a roof extension

Very inviting walkway with Flagstone, Gravel and Stepstone Pavers. We found this amazing iron gate at an estate sale!
This is an example of a huge farmhouse partial sun front yard gravel formal garden in Santa Barbara.

Note how we always have large bluestone pieces at the edge because we lay out the pattern with AutoCAD. There are two more granite steps at the driveway. See the granite lamp post.

A front yard in South Florida is transformed by landscape design. New walkways, fencing, plantings and a courtyard garden enhance the front yard space. Matthew Giampietro

This front yard had to also act as a clients back yard. The existing back yard is a ravine, so there is little room to functionally use it. This created a design element to create a sense of space/privacy while also allowing the Mid Century Modern Architecture to shine through. (and keep the feel of a front yard) We used concrete walls to break up the rooms, and guide people into the front entrance. We added IPE details on the wall and planters to soften the concrete, and Ore Inc aluminum containers with a rust finish to frame the entrance. The Aspen trees break the horizontal plane and are lit up at night, further defining the front yard. All the trees are on color lights and have the ability to change at the click of a button for both holidays, and seasonal accents. The slate chip beds keep the bed lines clean and clearly define the planting ares versus the lawn areas. The walkway is one monolithic pour that mimics the look of large scale pavers, with the added function of smooth,set-in-place, concrete.

Ulimited Style Photography http://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/49412194/list/patio-details-a-relaxing-front-yard-retreat-in-los-angeles

Mid-sized arts and crafts concrete front porch idea in Raleigh with a roof extension

Low mainteance with a touch of pink ton help illuminate Japanese lace leaf maple tree
Photo of a mid-sized modern drought-tolerant and full sun side yard stone retaining wall landscape in New York for spring.

Already partially enclosed by an ipe fence and concrete wall, our client had a vision of an outdoor courtyard for entertaining on warm summer evenings since the space would be shaded by the house in the afternoon. He imagined the space with a water feature, lighting and paving surrounded by plants. With our marching orders in place, we drew up a schematic plan quickly and met to review two options for the space. These options quickly coalesced and combined into a single vision for the space. A thick, 60” tall concrete wall would enclose the opening to the street – creating privacy and security, and making a bold statement. We knew the gate had to be interesting enough to stand up to the large concrete walls on either side, so we designed and had custom fabricated by Dennis Schleder (www.dennisschleder.com) a beautiful, visually dynamic metal gate. Other touches include drought tolerant planting, bluestone paving with pebble accents, crushed granite paving, LED accent lighting, and outdoor furniture. Both existing trees were retained and are thriving with their new soil. Photography by: http://www.coreenschmidt.com/

Entryway - traditional wood gray entryway idea in Atlanta