We don’t exist in a vacuum. An apocryphal quote of Picasso suggests “Good artists copy. Great artists steal”. It’s obvious that developing and designing your own space requires inspiration and ideas. Naturally, we will source ideas from existing projects. All the different sources will blend together to form something either unique and well designed, or derivative and with little thought.
Taking the time to search for garden design ideas helps you in a number of ways. You may have a list of things you want to include in your garden design already. Simply searching for more will open your eyes to more possibilities. Starting with a concise list will be extremely helpful when it comes to searching for garden design ideas. It will also help during the design process.
When it comes to things you want to do in your backyard garden, I break things into two categories:
ACTIVITIES
These are things you leave the house to DO. You interact with them. They are spaces designed with a specific purpose in mind. Examples include:
(have a dot point list of different options with links to galleries or good/ bad examples)
FEATURES
These are things that provide a focal point. You don’t need to leave the house to ‘use’ them. You don’t really interact with them in the same way. They often make up ‘filler’ space. Examples include:
(have a dot point list of different options with links to galleries or good/ bad examples)
With features in particular, it’s easy to focus on the visual. Don’t forget you interact with the world through a number of senses. Considering, and using, all in a design will only strengthen the result.
Finding garden design ideas is more than just how it looks. It combines all your senses, and links back to your past and into your future. You are literally carving space to meet needs you have now, and will have in the future.