Depending on the available space and position, a house garden can be turned into a veritable exterior designing work of art and if you happen to be a Hollywood superstar you know what this is all about: huge investments in yard and garden architecture, acres of cascades, pools, miniature forests and green pastures, together with designer furniture and sumptuous accessories.
But in reality, owning even a small yard may be an advantage, both if you live in the house and enjoy all the perks that come together with this and from a real – estate point of view. Many people use their front yard or back one as a place of relaxation, comfort and peace and designing this space may be a source of both fun and concern. It is fun because the challenge of turning a functional space into a beautiful one means to have imagination and inspiration, while the concerns come from keeping a balance between aesthetics and functionality.
Designers use to say that nature is the best accessory when it comes to exterior landscaping, so let’s see three golden rules of designing a yard so it is both useful and good looking.
1. First Golden Rule
This might sound like something Captain Obvious would say, but the first golden rule is to keep everything clean, and this doesn’t mean you have to sweep the pavement daily and take the garbage out. To keep a clean and tidy yard means indeed a pavement and pathways clean of fallen leaves, debris or dirt, but it also means getting rid of all the objects in the yard that make it look messy (from gardening tools to children’s’ toys), while a serious pest control plan should be one of the first priorities.
If you live in the house and you want to use the yard as a place of comfort, the last thing you want is traces of mice and rats living together with you or some signs that you neglected the fact that a
termite inspection cost is not so high and termites started to rule the land.
From a real – estate point of view, it’s hard to believe you will manage to sell a house that presents symptoms of pests or one which looks like the best place for pests to move in to. Get rid of the garbage, of car accessories if you keep the car in the front yard and so on. Something clean has a lot more chances to be beautiful than something dirty.
2. The Second Golden Rule
Use nature in your favor. If you plan to use your yard only as a space for entertainment so to speak, then combine paved areas with planting large bushes or trees, as having a turf and patches of flowers might need a lot of space. If you want to have the possibility to walk free in the yard and still use nature as an accessory, mix large paved pathways with oversized tree or shrubs pots.
You can use some exterior designer tricks and go vertical, leaving the yard space free and adorning the yard surrounding walls with vertical gardens, if you have this opportunity. For a functional and pretty yard, if the space allows it, try a symmetrical approach, leaving the center free and surrounding it from the sides with flower and small shrubs cultures. The rule is not to create a chaotic space where elements seem to be thrown together in the same place without logic.
3. The Third Golden Rule
If you manage to keep a front or a back yard clean and tidy and to combine beauty with functionality (adding garden furniture is alright, as long as you don’t sip your afternoon tea admiring your car or the trash bins), the third golden rule is about accessorizing it. As furniture is concerned, if the space allows it, you can install some chairs, a table and even a sofa, provided you can keep them safe from the weather influence and depending on your taste and budget, the sky is the limit: solid wood benches for a rustic atmosphere, iron, rattan, a textile approach, it’s your choice really.
Make sure they don’t take all the space available and if you chose to create a relaxation space, don’t ruin it with elements like trash bins, the family van, tool boxes or whatnot. Secondly, by accessories designers mean also installing water fountains or lighting systems and you should be careful about those too, because the space is not so large, a crowded yard is the last thing you need. Poor lighting is also a drawback both if you live there or you take the house out to the selling market.
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