Contact

A Key Landscape Design Principle

With landscape design you should appreciate that your composition will most likely be seen from multiple viewing points. Landscapes are part of our lives – we live in and around them.

It’s a three dimensional, dynamic experience.  The same could be said for architectural and engineering design – close partners of landscape design.

When I’m designing I like to spend time on the property to familiarize myself with all the different vistas.

In addition, the tasks of measuring and site analysis help you to learn a property’s unique characteristics.

After gathering measurements and notes about the property, I take plenty of pictures.  I walk the site as family and friends will, and photograph those different views.

I’ll reference these pictures constantly as I put ideas on paper.

A View Challenge

The view of the pool from the house is as important as the view back to the house.

Notice how visually imposing the building is on the pool area. The pool had to be located this close to the home because of setback and wetlands issues.

The strong lines of the house can be softened by introducing taller plant material at key points.

Also, layering different elements and textures within a short distance helps to make the space seem deeper.

Now, rather than a shallow blank view of the house, the viewer has to visually take in the paver brick pool deck, grass and plantings.

Even the small planting by the water’s edge is helpful in creating dimensional depth.

Plant life close to the water, especially in a natural shaped pool like this, connects the living landscape to the pool.  Also, it’s a nice feeling to walk around the pool and have this visual break between the decking and the water.

Here’s the previous post for this project. And here’s the next.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *