Fireball in the garden Oyster Pond is one of Falmouth's treasured natural resources adjacent to Vineyard Sound on Cape Cod. The owners commissioned two pieces, a 40" Fireball and a Screen Play. The Blue Heron Bliss Fireball captures the magnificent life of Oyster Pond – herons, dragonflies, lotus flowers, frogs and lily pads. The Fireball sits comfortably on the front lawn, punctuating the abundant garden of limelight hydrangeas and beautiful purple and yellow flowers. Just steps from the water and the main house, the imagery of this Fireball connects family and friends to this magical place.

Town Garden Camden

Breeze Garden Design

The end of the garden includes a wood fired oven from the stonebake oven company, a log store and a charcoal barbecue. Bluestone paving and flint gravel.

Town Garden Camden

Breeze Garden Design

Looking back towards the house.
Photo of a contemporary garden in London.

Compact & Contemporary | Dining Area

Beyond Landscaping

This Toronto backyard may be small in space but it's big on style. We created two defined living spaces - a dining area on a raised square cut flagstone patio and a sunken living area with a fire table that will add style to any evening ambiance. This space is a perfect extension of the house. It's not only big on style but function as well and makes it perfect for this young family of five. There is a cozy bbq area with bench height stone wall and lounge area for mom or dad, long stretch of grass perfect for throwing the football and dining for the whole family (even the little ones!) When design in small spaces, creating defined rooms and keeping the unity between them can make the space feel larger and much more functional.

Privacy Lattice

Green Concept Inc.

Design ideas for a contemporary garden in Toronto.

California Spa Retreat from a No-Tell Motel Pool

Michael Norpell's Wall To Wall

Using the existing shell, we were able to transform the look and feel of the pool and its surroundings. Poured concrete, Trex decks, planters, and a fly-over bridge create an engaging space with intentional poolside social areas. Linda Oyama Bryan Photography

May 2014

Luciana
Design ideas for a small contemporary backyard garden in Cardiff with a container garden and natural stone pavers.

Outdoor Fireplaces & Fire Pits

Gregory Lombardi Design

Inspiration for a contemporary garden in Boston with natural stone pavers.

Floating Layers

Dean Herald-Rolling Stone Landscapes

Rolling Stone Landscapes
Design ideas for a contemporary garden in Melbourne.

Children's Play Areas

Stout Design Build Inc.

Children's play area to include putting green, sandpit, boulders and logs. For natural landscaping that brings beauty to your home or business, contact the professionals at Stout Design-Build, where we offer you a range of landscape design and building services that are . . . "Organic. Responsible. Naturally!" Stout Design-Build is a full service designing and building firm that offers a variety of residential and commercial services. We can help you with landscape design, landscape construction, building construction, and more. Our professionals have 20 years of design experience. We work with LEED certified, Green Point Rated, and standard properties. We focus on designing you a landscape that is efficient and beautiful with natural products from plants to patios, and with the implementation of water and energy conservation. We also renovate homes and offer them up for sale, providing you with stylish living at affordable prices. Everything we do is environmentally friendly, with great craftsmanship, so you will always get the best in quality whether you need landscape design and building or one of our other services. Contact the professionals at Stout Design-Build in Los Angeles, CA to get beautiful landscape design and professional quality services. Call 310-876-1018 to set up your consultation! http://www.stoutdesignbuild.com http://maps.google.com/maps/place?hl=...

Water Features

MOD Construction, LLC

Outdoor water feature
Photo of a mid-sized contemporary backyard full sun garden in Salt Lake City with a water feature, concrete pavers and a stone fence.

Twin Terrace Garden

Christine Wilkie Garden Design

This small, north-east facing garden, measuring around 100 m2, was in need of a complete transformation to bring it into line with the owner's interior style and the desire for an outdoor room experience. A series of bi-folding doors led out to a relatively small patio and raised lawn area. The objective was to create a design that would maximise the space, making it feel much larger and provide usable areas that the owners could enjoy throughout the day as the sun moves around the garden. An asymmetrical design with different focal points and material contrasts was deployed to achieve the impression of a larger, yet still harmonious, space. The overall garden style was Japanese-inspired with pared back hard landscaping materials and plants with interesting foliage and texture, such as Acers, Prunus serrula cherry tree, cloud pruned Ilex crenata, clumping bamboo and Japanese grasses featuring throughout the garden's wide borders. A new lower terrace was extended across the full width of the garden to allow the space to be fully used for morning coffee and afternoon dining. Porcelain tiles with an aged wood effect were used to clad a new retaining wall and step risers, with limestone-effect porcelain tiles used for the lower terrace. New steps were designed to create an attractive transition from the lower to the upper level where the previous lawn was completely removed in favour of a second terrace using the same low-maintenance wood effect porcelain tiles. A raised bed constructed in black timber sleepers was installed to deal with ground level changes at the upper level, while at the lower level another raised bed provides an attractive retaining edge backfilled with bamboo. New fencing was installed and painted black, a nod to the Japanese shou sugi ban method of charring wood to maintain it. Finally, a combination of carefully chosen outdoor furniture, garden statuary and bespoke planters complete the look. Discrete garden lighting set into the steps, retaining wall and house walls create a soft ambient lighting in which to sit and enjoy the garden after dark.

Earls Court Oasis

Harry Holding Studio

An inner city oasis with enchanting planting using a tapestry of textures, shades of green and architectural forms to evoke the tropics of Australia. Here, ferns and geraniums spill over the granite plank paving.

Florida Flow

Kevin Caron Studios, L.L.C.

This graceful fountain trickles gently down over increasingly larger discs.
Inspiration for a mid-sized contemporary backyard garden in Phoenix.

West Pymble

iCreate Landscape and Design PTY LTD

Photo of a small contemporary courtyard partial sun garden in Sydney with with raised garden bed, natural stone pavers and a wood fence.

Wandsworth

The London Gardener Ltd

We were asked to redesign a large garden in Wandsworth, SW18. It needed to be child-friendly, with a sunken trampoline and a large real grass lawn and plenty of space to entertain and enjoy the sun. Also our client was anxious to keep the garden private, and to block views into the garden where possible. We were fortunate to be able to enjoy a number of mature trees in other gardens, and this allowed us to focus more on the medium and lower layers of planting. We mixed long-flowering shrubs and perennials with small multi-stemmed trees, all of which were planted with a long season of interest in mind. The planting around the sunken trampoline had to be kept low so the children could be seen from the house, and also robust incase it got landed on!

Ealing, contemporary family garden

Beaufort & Rampton Landscapes

Inspiration for a mid-sized contemporary backyard full sun garden for summer in London with a fire feature, decking and a wood fence.

Chalet en Santa Clara

Idearte Marta Montoya

Design ideas for a contemporary garden in Seville with a garden path.

Shades of Green

Living Gardens Landscape Design

Our clients were looking to replace their existing dying grass with a welcoming low water design. We created a fire pit seating area under trees with string lights overhead. The fountain is featured opposite the master bedroom windows. A low water and low maintenance design.

Frederick Street Project -- Ping Pong Table

Scott Lipscomb Landscape Architect (SLLA)

Another angle of the ping pong table. Also included in this picture is water fountain surrounded by river rock. Photo Credit: Scott Lipscomb
Inspiration for a mid-sized contemporary backyard full sun formal garden for spring in Other with a water feature and gravel.

Contemporary Black Garden Design Ideas

Get Inspired by Contemporary Gardens on Houzz

A lot of the time when you get home from a long day at work, all you want to do is wind down. Where better to do this than in your very own contemporary garden at home? If you do it right, a great garden design can send you right into holiday mode. But where to start? There’s so many styles to choose from when it comes to garden design. Whether you want to create a tropical, modern, contemporary, beach style or country garden - or something else entirely - the large garden image gallery on Houzz has got you covered. Get inspired and collect your ideas to narrow down your desired garden style and features.

How to Create a Contemporary Garden for Your Home

Depending on which style you’re going for, be sure to know what makes a contemporary garden and if it’s appropriate for your climate. You may want to consider adding a deck or other landscaping features, but the plants you choose will mostly dictate your style and what kind of ongoing maintenance is required. Don’t worry if your backyard isn’t very spacious - there are many plants that can thrive even in a small space and allow you to turn your space into a little paradise of your own, regardless of size.

Decide which plants to use

The greenery you choose is critical to your look. For example, if you’re trying to create a tropical garden palm trees and bamboo are your go-to options. Other popular options are golden cane palm trees and fern for ground cover. From there you can add some colour with bright flowers like frangipani, hibiscus or bromeliads. All these are actually quite hardy plants, so once established, your tropical garden is actually quite easy to maintain. Use this structure and apply it to your style. Research which plants you need to set your base for a contemporary garden and go from there.

Add some decor

If the plants don’t quite do it for you yet, or if you want to add some extra wow-factor, consider adding some extra features. Even if you can’t accommodate a swimming pool, hot tub or pond, you could look at smaller water features. Simple rocks can also have a great effect, while statues and gnomes will add some extra character. Don’t forget to add some furniture so you have a nice place to sit and enjoy your garden!

Need some help?

Once you know what you want your garden to look like, it may be hard to make it a reality on your own. If that is the case for you, consider consulting a professional to help you with your contemporary garden design. Every photo you find on Houzz will lead you to the local pro that did the job, so you won’t have a problem picking the perfect person to help! Whether you need a gardener in Brisbane, a landscape architect in Melbourne or a fireplace installer in Sydney, you can be sure to find one on Houzz.