How to Master Minimalism Outdoors
Minimalist style is making its way into backyards, but take care to ensure yours is welcoming too
Sleek surfaces and clean lines dominate contemporary interiors, and as outdoor spaces become more like living rooms, minimalism is the next big thing for backyards. Furniture, plantings and garden design all come into play for modernists wanting the feeling of spaciousness and freedom that comes with minimalist style. The danger of paring back too much, however, is that your backyard becomes cold and uninviting. See the tactics the designers of these cool and contemporary backyards have used to make them way more welcoming.
The golden tones of oiled timber are also commonly used to make a contemporary backyard feel more welcoming. In renovating the Melbourne house to which this garden is attached, architect Andrew Mitchell says he introduced warm natural materials to “soften an otherwise cold contemporary interior.” The same can be said of his treatment of this outside space. “Recycled Australian hardwoods, natural stone and textural fabrics were used to add layers of interest and visual comfort,” Mitchell adds.
Add a focal point
Without something to draw your eye, a minimalist garden can look featureless and uninviting. In this garden, a sculptural element turns it into something special.
Without something to draw your eye, a minimalist garden can look featureless and uninviting. In this garden, a sculptural element turns it into something special.
The water feature in the courtyard of this 1930s home gives us something to look at in an otherwise architecturally minimal space. Symmetry and uniformity in minimalist gardens make them just as good a fit for classic, traditional-style homes as they are for homes that are more contemporary.
Make lines with plants
Uninterrupted lines are a key feature of minimalist interiors and the same is true out of doors. This David Edelman Architects house follows a minimalist aesthetic – it’s almost totally white inside and outside – and the landscaping complements this style. A row of greenery softens all those hard surfaces and straight lines, but its uniformity still suits the home’s minimalist style.
Uninterrupted lines are a key feature of minimalist interiors and the same is true out of doors. This David Edelman Architects house follows a minimalist aesthetic – it’s almost totally white inside and outside – and the landscaping complements this style. A row of greenery softens all those hard surfaces and straight lines, but its uniformity still suits the home’s minimalist style.
Likewise in this garden, Agave attenuata and Viburnum tinus have been used to echo the lines in the timber decking and built-in seating of this Perth backyard.
Add layers of comfort
Furniture is an easy way to change the style of any backyard. By all means, choose sleek dining settings and outdoor lounges, but just make sure they’re comfortable. Plenty of padding will soften a contemporary scheme in more ways than one. In this backyard, a soothing colour scheme also helps soften the overall effect, making it infinitely more inviting.
17 outstanding outdoor rooms
Furniture is an easy way to change the style of any backyard. By all means, choose sleek dining settings and outdoor lounges, but just make sure they’re comfortable. Plenty of padding will soften a contemporary scheme in more ways than one. In this backyard, a soothing colour scheme also helps soften the overall effect, making it infinitely more inviting.
17 outstanding outdoor rooms
Leave some empty space
A sense of spaciousness is essential in any minimalist space, and that means resisting the urge to give every bit of decking a purpose. With minimalism, emptiness is the purpose. In this tiny three-metre-wide courtyard at the back of a Victorian-style terrace, leaving much of the deck empty dramatically increases the sense of space, an approach architect Angus Mackenzie used throughout the home.
Timber bi-fold doors open the house up to the courtyard, where a green wall punctuates the space. “The open-plan design and simple detailing give the impression of a much larger space on a very tight urban site,” says Mackenzie.
A sense of spaciousness is essential in any minimalist space, and that means resisting the urge to give every bit of decking a purpose. With minimalism, emptiness is the purpose. In this tiny three-metre-wide courtyard at the back of a Victorian-style terrace, leaving much of the deck empty dramatically increases the sense of space, an approach architect Angus Mackenzie used throughout the home.
Timber bi-fold doors open the house up to the courtyard, where a green wall punctuates the space. “The open-plan design and simple detailing give the impression of a much larger space on a very tight urban site,” says Mackenzie.
Traditional Japanese rock gardens are zen for good reason – they contain few distracting features. A few rocks to represent mountains rising up through the water or clouds punctuates the sand raked into patterns. Designed to be calming retreats and places to facilitate meditation, zen gardens are minimalist but mesmerising by design.
Go for geometry
Although lines and angles are commonplace in minimalist-style outdoor rooms, other shapes can be employed just as effectively. Circles and other curves can work especially well if the landscaping materials and colours emphasise the form. In this case, restricting the materials palette to pale-toned stone makes the sunken fire pit a drawcard.
Although lines and angles are commonplace in minimalist-style outdoor rooms, other shapes can be employed just as effectively. Circles and other curves can work especially well if the landscaping materials and colours emphasise the form. In this case, restricting the materials palette to pale-toned stone makes the sunken fire pit a drawcard.
Make concrete your friend
Nothing says contemporary minimalism like concrete, and when it’s incorporated into an outdoor space, it can really pack a punch. This impressive backyard in Seattle was once neglected and overgrown, but is now part of a well-used indoor/outdoor living space.
The design plays off the style of the house with simple forms and clean lines. A dash of red in the form of soft bench cushions instantly warms up all that cold concrete.
See more of this backyard
Nothing says contemporary minimalism like concrete, and when it’s incorporated into an outdoor space, it can really pack a punch. This impressive backyard in Seattle was once neglected and overgrown, but is now part of a well-used indoor/outdoor living space.
The design plays off the style of the house with simple forms and clean lines. A dash of red in the form of soft bench cushions instantly warms up all that cold concrete.
See more of this backyard
TELL US
Which backyard do you like best? Share your opinions in the Comments section below.
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Things We Can Learn From Minimalists
Which backyard do you like best? Share your opinions in the Comments section below.
MORE
Clean Living: Declutter Your Way to a Minimalist Home in 7 Easy Steps
When Less is More: How to Pull Off a Minimalist Look That Works
Things We Can Learn From Minimalists
At this rural property in the Southern Highlands of NSW, Corten weathering steel (a copper chromium alloy steel) has been used for the pool fence and pergola to bring a lived-in look to an otherwise minimalist design. Corten becomes a beautiful rusty red over time, adding more warmth as it ages.
Ways with Corten weathering steel