The front yard of your house is the first thing that you, your guests and neighbors look at. Traditionally, having a green lawn patch with a bunch of shrubs and a few seasonal flowering plants would be enough to consider it presentable. However, with the evolution of architectural design and an enhanced awareness of global trends, people are now actively investing in modern landscaping for their front yards. Top architects in Lahore and Islamabad are of the view that having a design for the front yard with symmetrical plantations and neat landscaping, gives the house a regal first impression. We have crafted a list below to help you familiarize yourself with the prominent features of the modern front yard landscaping.
Look for Symmetry
Symmetry is the basic requirement for any area to look aesthetically pleasing and reflect a calming vibe. That is why when landscaping the front yard, organizing the design around a designated central point, in the right proportion is a basic necessity. A lawn that prominently showcases symmetry in all of its aspects is more comforting for the human as compared to a non-symmetric arrangement, which in this case would be a complete outdoor mess. The best way to strike a symmetrical balance is to define a focal point for the front yard and then work towards developing matching halves on both sides(where possible) and a steady layout of the features around it. For example, arranging the same heightened flower beds around the gravel pathway or placing identical planters with the same sized plants on each side of the entrance door would do the trick. The idea is to help create a landscape design that depicts a strong sense of balance between the individual design items i.e. flower beds, lamps, planters, etc, and keeps the dustbins and drain pipes hidden under the symmetrical arrangement.
Well Designed Pathways
Incorporating well-designed pathways is another important feature of the front yard landscape. The pathways are not only important to function as a symmetrical focal point that brings out the beauty of the lawn but it is extremely important to enable people to move through the landscape easily, without damaging the plants and other decorative pieces including miniature gardens, and box flower arrangements, etc. These pathways are built in different shapes and sizes, using a wide range of materials, including stones, bricks, concrete, granite setts, gravel, and asphalt. However, the best Architectural Design Firms in Pakistan commonly use natural stone, bricks, and crushed gravel to build these pathways because of their ability to stay cool in the hot weather conditions and they sync beautifully with the architectural trends of the country.
Statement Pieces
First impressions surely count, so when landscaping your front yard, go grand with the design and glam it up with some statement pieces. Such elements are unique and help in creating the perfect impact for the front yard. A statement piece reflects the individual décor philosophy of the owner, so it could be anything that looks exclusive and lets the eye pause and rest. It could be a real-life marble sculpture, placed at the end of a garden bed, which would be a treat for the eyes, or it can be a vintage wooden gate placed at the entrance to help add a classic feel to the exterior of the house. However, adding these statement pieces could turn into a big mess if not planned professionally. The idea of adding them is to draw attention to a certain focal point and make it look pleasing. On the other hand, adding too many bold pieces or their improper arrangement can make the landscape look chaotic.
Floral Borders
A garden isn’t a garden unless it has numerous colorful beds of flowers on every corner. And one of the easiest ways to revamp the front yard landscape of any house is by planting a colorful border of flowering plants to enliven the pathway. Commonly, the designers opt to use a mixture of both annual and perennial flowers, to make sure that springtime is never over. Agapanthus and petunias are used for the extra pop of color along with a few evergreen shrubs that add greenery to the lawn across all seasons. Floral borders also help brighten up the dull cemented pathways by making them look attractive and eye-catching. So, when considering planting ideas for the front yard, always incorporate flowers of the season along with a bunch of evergreen plants to maintain a fresh look.
Miniature Gardens
Another creative element to give the front yard an enchanting and alluring look is to add a miniature garden, commonly known as a fairy garden. These little gardens can be in any space around the front yard and they will instantly draw all the attention to themselves with their impressive adornments and unique accessories. Miniature gardens are built using dwarf trees and shrubs that do not grow beyond a certain height, including, Hawaiian schefflera, Aucuba, English ivy, and Ti plant as the popular choices. These gardens can be built into almost anything that can stand on the floor i.e. a simple planter, large boxes, or even recycled containers. Miniature gardens also consist of various mini accessories like chairs, tables, benches, plant stands, and mini pools, etc, that make them look extremely charming. Don’t miss out on this extra touch of miniature exquisiteness in your front yard.
Add Fountains
Water is a natural element that instantly adds to the aesthetic appeal of the landscaping design. Nowadays the top architects in Lahore are actively using fountains in their front yard landscaping designs to add a more dramatic and royal feel to the garden. This allows the inhabitants to enjoy a relaxing sensory outdoor experience by combining the visual aspect of the front yard with the natural sound of water. Garden fountains are of various types ranging from centrally placed free-standing marble fountains to large wall-mounted fountains etc. The aquatic garden is a relatively new trend to be used in front yard landscaping in Pakistan. However, because of its extremely pleasant feel and relaxing vibe, it is popular amongst clients. In case you are planning to invest in landscaping your front yard, don’t forget to add in the element of water to enjoy the true feel of being close to nature.
Use Proper Lighting
Indoors or outdoors, having a proper lighting design is vital. Something that might be looking extremely gorgeous in the natural sunlight during the day can look like an unplanned jungle of things at night if the lighting is not done right. To avoid such a disaster and ensure that the beauty of the landscape remains as attractive as it was in the light, a planned lighting system is built and installed. The landscape should incorporate three light sources as a rule of thumb, to minimize grey areas and shadows. Keeping that in view, top architects in Lahore use trail lights around the borders of the garden and the pathway to function as a guiding light and ensure that you can see what you are stepping on. Secondly, they use large lamps, sometimes mounted on the walls and sometimes hanging with a pergola, to function as the main source of light outside, keeping it all bright. And lastly, decorative lights are used, usually around the statement pieces and miniature gardens to give it a prominent look.
Landscaping a front yard isn’t as simple of a task as it seems. It requires an in-depth thought process to ensure symmetry and functionality. The list above highlights the most prominent elements of landscaping a modern front yard which can help you visualize what you want your outdoors to look like.