Matthew Millman
Inspiration for a mid-sized contemporary front yard full sun garden in San Francisco with natural stone pavers.

Brooklyn Backyard

Root & Vine Gardens

Brooklyn Backyard Oasis. Blue stone patio, Ceder privacy fence.
This is an example of a small contemporary backyard full sun formal garden for summer in New York with natural stone pavers.

Hummingbird House

Stonecreek Building Company, Inc.

Timmerman Photography Sculpture by Mayme Kratz This is a home we initially built in 1995 and after it sold in 2014 we were commissioned to come back and remodel the interior of the home. We worked with internationally renowned architect Will Bruder on the initial design on the home. The goal of home was to build a modern hillside home which made the most of the vista upon which it sat. A few ways we were able to achieve this were the unique, floor-to-ceiling glass windows on the side of the property overlooking Scottsdale, a private courtyard off the master bedroom and bathroom, and a custom commissioned sculpture Mayme Kratz. Stonecreek's particular role in the project were to work alongside both the clients and the architect to make sure we were able to perfectly execute on the vision and design of the project. A very unique component of this house is how truly custom every feature is, all the way from the window systems and the bathtubs all the way down to the door handles and other features.

Modern Water-Side Landscape Remodel and Lawn Replacement - Backyard, Novato, CA

Dig Your Garden Landscape Design

Lagoon-side property in the Bel Marin Keys, Novato, CA. Entertaining and enjoying the views were a primary design goal for this project. The project includes a large camaru deck with built-in seating. The concrete steps and pavers lead down to the water's edge. I included a sunken patio on one side and a beautiful Buddha statue on the other, surrounded by succulents and other low-water, contemporary plantings. The plant medley includes Sea Lavender, Blue Oat Grass, Bulbine - Snake plant, Parrot's Beak and others. Photo: © Eileen Kelly, Dig Your Garden Landscape Design. Design Eileen Kelly

Modern Portland New Construction - Front Exterior Walkway & Garden

Kraft Custom Construction

Built from the ground up on 80 acres outside Dallas, Oregon, this new modern ranch house is a balanced blend of natural and industrial elements. The custom home beautifully combines various materials, unique lines and angles, and attractive finishes throughout. The property owners wanted to create a living space with a strong indoor-outdoor connection. We integrated built-in sky lights, floor-to-ceiling windows and vaulted ceilings to attract ample, natural lighting. The master bathroom is spacious and features an open shower room with soaking tub and natural pebble tiling. There is custom-built cabinetry throughout the home, including extensive closet space, library shelving, and floating side tables in the master bedroom. The home flows easily from one room to the next and features a covered walkway between the garage and house. One of our favorite features in the home is the two-sided fireplace – one side facing the living room and the other facing the outdoor space. In addition to the fireplace, the homeowners can enjoy an outdoor living space including a seating area, in-ground fire pit and soaking tub.

Montcalm Street

Rossington Architecture

This is an example of a contemporary garden in San Francisco.

Branches Corten Steel Laser Cut Screen £350

Stark and Greensmith

Martine Le Gassick
This is an example of a contemporary garden.

RGB LED Strip Landscaping Lights

Solid Apollo LED

A customer sent us pics of their backyard patio installation using Solid Apollo Landing Lights and outdoor RGBW LED strip lights. The RGBW LED strip is fully dimmable and adds a versatile, beautiful accent lighting to a great outdoor space. Our waterproof RGB LED strips are IP67 rated which is perfectly suitable to withstand the exposure to rain and moisture in an outdoor environment.

The water feature and lighting is operated by remote control to give flexibility

Georgia Lindsay Garden Design

Design ideas for a contemporary partial sun garden in London.

Ocean Front Walk, Marina del Rey

Weeds Garden Design Build LLC

Custom living wall with woolly pocket planters clad in red mahogany with reclaimed wood art. Succulent plantings are irrigated with a drip system which is hidden behind the wall.

Long Beach Entry

dp environments

Floating wood and smooth stucco entry wall with stainless mounted address numbers. Decorative gravel in custom modular concrete pads. Contemporary wood bench. Dry stream bed with natural river rock boulders offsets the tight geometry of the entry. Xeriscape drought tolerant landscape plants with succulents, native grasses and shrubs. Plants include Kangaroo Paw, Agave Attenuata, Coleonema 'Sunset', Agave 'Blue Glow', Pennisetum 'Fireworks', Cercidium 'Desert Museum', Salvia Gregii, Escallonia Fradesii, Festuca Glauca, and several varieties of Echeveria. Photos by Dominic Masiello. Plants sourced from budgetplants.com.

The Great Canadian Landscaping Company

The Great Canadian Landscaping Company Ltd.

Photo Credit: Chris O'Donohue
Photo of a large contemporary backyard partial sun garden in Vancouver with concrete pavers.

Delmonte

Chuck B Edwards Landscape Architecture & 3D

Firefly Coral Bells
This is an example of a contemporary backyard garden in Boise.

Das grüne Wohnzimmer

Borchers GmbH

Contemporary garden in Other.

Sustainable Green Paving Design

Studio H Landscape Architecture

Photography by Studio H Landscape Architecture. Post processing by Isabella Li.
Inspiration for a small contemporary backyard garden in Orange County with a garden path and natural stone pavers.

Rosewood PVC Vinyl Privacy Wood Grain Fence from Illusions Fence

Illusions Vinyl Fence

This Illusions PVC vinyl fence looks just like real wood with the low maintenance of vinyl. Rosewood (W104) Grand Illusions Vinyl WoodBond tongue and groove privacy fence (V300-6) from Illusions Vinyl Fence. Such a terrific backyard and pool area idea. Your home decor will never be the same. This is a good neighbor fence on steroids. Illusions Vinyl Fence is the best fence company in the industry. Come find out why.

Tea House - Large Roof Terrace

Rooftopia, LLC

The tea house is a stunning structure we were excited to design and install on a very large outdoor terrace, in Wrigleyville. This private residential space, once a vast expanse of concrete pavers, is now a lush, livable and tranquil oasis. The covered patio or gazebo we named, The Tea House is comprised of Tigerwood, bamboo, Ipe, cedar, steel and retractable mesh screen doors. Underneath the solid roof is a beautiful faux tin ceiling tile that compliments and contrasts the wooden elements adding a rich, unexpected eye-catching charm.

San Rafael Horizontal Fence and New Entry Stairs & Landing

Clough Construction

Design ideas for a large contemporary side yard full sun garden in San Francisco with concrete pavers.

Blue Pool

Garden Lights Landscape and Pool Development Inc.

Steve Lambert
Design ideas for a small contemporary backyard partial sun garden in San Francisco with a retaining wall.

Cupertino 2

Envision Landscape Studio

Design ideas for a contemporary garden in San Francisco.

Contemporary Red 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.