Color always plays a pivotal role in enhancing interior spaces, but it can be equally as important in outdoor spaces. Potent color choices can create striking contrasts, while subtle choices can create a calming ambiance that’s more suitable in other contexts.
Whether you’re trying to address landscaping needs for a private home or commercial business, color should be central to your decision-making process. Read on to discover strategies that can help you maximize the role of color in your landscape designs.
Use the Rules of Color Theory
When you’re hoping to spruce up your landscape with a color injection, it pays to know the rules of color theory. In other words, how do colors relate to each other and how can color schemes enhance your landscape? Knowing even a few simple rules can guide your decisions.
Warm colors, for instance, include reds and oranges. These colors add intensity and create a strong contrast against green vegetation. Bright red zinnias or orange marigolds could add a needed accent to your landscape design.
Potted plants along a walkway to a greenhouse or splashy accent pillows on wicker lounges can add the punch of color you’re looking for.
Opting for cooler colors, such as blues and purples, can create a serene environment. Choose these colors if you’re planning a reading nook or otherwise calming space. Paired with yellows or oranges, cooler colors can gain vibrancy. And in general, complementary colors, which sit across from each other on the color wheel, will vibrate for greater intensity.
If softer tones are your aim, reach for neutrals. Grays, browns, and other subdued tones will provide an earthy ambiance. Woodsy decor and furniture situated among flower beds of white irises, for instance, will look soft and appealing.
Channel Interior Design Selections
Integrating color into your landscaping decisions doesn’t have to be burdensome. In fact, the design choices used in interior design can inform the choices you make in an outdoor setting. What works on walls and floors can translate to garden beds and other spaces.
Interior design choices also prioritize inventive and harmonious use of texture. In outdoor spaces, that same level of consideration should apply. Stone or wood furniture can tap into a neutral color scheme that looks natural against any greenery. For a bolder statement, cluster flower beds according to color to build patterns and contrast.
Consider adding stepping stones to a greenhouse or sitting space in a pink stone that stands out in front of the surrounding grass. Arrange the stones in an arc for more movement or keep things linear for a modern look.
Establish focal points, like garden beds wrapped in brick borders or seating areas on a fresh patio. A pergola or trellis would be another good option to attract attention in a landscaping transformation.
Look at Your Landscape’s Unique Features
Every landscape will offer special features and challenges that inform your color choices. Maybe your property boasts mature cherry blossom trees. Or perhaps you’ve inherited lush vegetation around the perimeter of your new home. In any case, plan on using these existing features as the centerpiece of your transformation.
If you’re limited on space and hoping to increase visual interest, add layers of greenery to your landscape. This could take the form of a few different types of shrubs, like bowood or juniper. Different textures within the same color palette can look lush without being overbearing.
If you’re trying to take a plain lawn and turn it into a sumptuous masterpiece, start small. For houses with a visible foundation, the right shrubs can soften the transition from grass to home. Plant a flowering tree or punctuate a large expanse of green with a flower bed. Likewise, large rocks can bring a sense of focus and weight to lawns.
Consider your area’s climate and growing conditions, too. Any changes that you make should have the opportunity to thrive for years to come. Avoid planting flowers or trees that won’t tolerate cold weather if you experience snowy winters.
Look for trees that retain their leaves if you live in an area where most trees drop their leaves in autumn. You’ll gain year round beauty and extra privacy from trees that maintain their foliage.
Use Technology to Your Advantage
Although evaluating a landscape in person offers the best glimpse of the canvas you’re working with, technology can be a valuable tool, too. You’ll be able to test options before committing to a plan for your greenspace.
Try Dynascape landscape design software, for example, to create sophisticated designs that also account for the materials needed. You can tally up the number of plants you’ll need to implement the design and choose from an extensive library of options.
With technology, you won’t need to invest in mulch, flowers, and pruning tools for an unproven design. Instead, you can create a few different renderings before selecting the winner. This saves time, frustration, and money.
Create a Stunning Outdoor Space
The right bursts of color and texture can transform a dull landscape into an enviable one. Evaluate your property’s natural assets, like trees or other existing plantings, as you chart a path forward.
Consider color relationships and textures that can spark more excitement in your landscape. And use technology to envision your dream transformation so you can test possibilities before moving ahead with one.
Our writers like to find the latest trends for fashion and interiors. We launched the award-winning Seasons in Colour in 2015 and the luxury property and interior decor blog www.alltheprettyhomes.com in 2024 to cover all your interior design, travel and lifestyle inspiration needs.