Landscape lighting in Canton, MI
With so much inspiration everywhere, it can be overwhelming to think about how to freshen up your outdoor living space to get ready for the outdoor entertaining/relaxing season. Here are some landscape design ideas to think about for this summer in Canton, MI.
Related: 8 Patio Design Trends That Landscaping Companies Should Be Familiar With in Rochester Hills, MI
Bring the Indoors Outside
More homeowners are choosing to spend more time outdoors and extend their enjoyment of their backyards. But they understandably don’t want to rough it. They want the same comforts and amenities they enjoy indoors, including plush furniture, a fully equipped outdoor kitchen, well-designed landscape lighting, and entertainment.
Outdoor comfort begins with shelter. If you would like to use your patio more often during the hottest summer days, consider a pergola, which will provide both shade and add sophistication. If you want to maximize outdoor living, have a solid-roofed pavilion installed, or consider a covered porch complete with an outdoor fireplace and ceiling fans.
Integration of Green Spaces with Gathering Spaces
A patio doesn’t have to feel separate from the landscape. Instead of one large patio, consider a patio with “fingers” that extend outward into the surroundings. For example, a seating area with a fire pit can be nestled into a hillside or a grove of trees; this approach makes the fire pit area feel separate yet connected to the main patio area—just as rooms in the house are separate yet connected.
Climate-centric Design
Native plants, water-wise landscapes, pollinator gardens, and vegetable gardens are top landscaping trends as more people seek ways to reduce their carbon footprints. Native landscapes are beautiful, hardy, low maintenance, and they attract local wildlife for an enhanced outdoor experience. For your new landscape design, you could focus on making a driveway greener with permeable pavers that allow water to seep into the ground and reduce the heat island effect thanks to the larger joints between pavers that allow heat to escape.
Experiential Landscapes
Consider more creative ways to experience the backyard. A narrow walking path leading to a water feature or a quiet meditation corner can transform an ordinary landscape into a welcoming retreat. The experience could begin at the front door with an attractive paver driveway and walkway, and it could continue with the walkway wrapping around the home to the more private space in the rear of the house. Get creative with walkway materials and laying patterns; even if a walkway sees little use, it’s still a part of the landscape and should reflect the level of care and pride that’s extended to more frequently used spaces.
Simplicity
A modern trend is toward clean, simple spaces. An uncluttered landscape theme doesn’t have to focus on a sea of grass, but it could instead entail providing a refreshing amount of space between hardscape features. This allows each element of the landscape to have its own presence. Achieve simplicity on a patio by utilizing seating walls and built-in seating to minimize the clutter of patio furniture. Similarly, you can create a stunning dining experience by installing a fire table. The look is clean, modern, and does double duty in adding ambience to the space.
Secluded Spaces
Many people love to be nestled as they strive for peace and relaxation—particularly outdoors. Smaller patios are a big trend as long as they are well designed for easy traffic flow and offer adequate space for their intended uses. A Japanese-style zen garden with seating for two and a small fountain, surrounded by bamboo fencing; or a modern reading nook tucked into a side yard and surrounded by a minimalist vine-draped masonry privacy wall could offer a sense of intimate calm.
Related: Including Enough Shade and Shelter in Your Troy, MI, Landscape Design
