Designer Tips: Furniture Can Make or Break Your Landscape

April 11, 2018 | By webadmin

Have you ever thought about the impact furniture can have on the look of your landscape? In landscape design, a focal point captures attention and brings the viewer’s focus to a particular location, giving the eye a place to rest. Creating focal points can be accomplished by installing a sculpture, a fountain, or an interesting plant specimen. But you can also create functional focal points using outdoor furniture.

A contemporary furniture installation defines this stylish landscape.

Order with Purpose

Focal points give a sense of order and unity to a landscape Without them, your eye tends to wander aimlessly. Placing focal points in locations that are considered destinations—such as the end of a winding path—to further draw your visitor into your landscape. Furniture accomplishes this by making a garden more inviting.

Consider the Style

When choosing a furniture focal point, the entire landscape needs to be taken into consideration. The furniture chosen needs to match the overall aesthetic of the garden. In a more natural garden filled with pollinator and native plants, a simple rustic wooden bench tucked into the garden creates a calming focal point. A modern landscape begs for clean, sculptural furniture.

Clean and modern spaces, such as this backyard oasis below, are anchored nicely by the sculptural chairs. Not only do these chairs serve a functional purpose, they also bring artistic flair to a simplistic landscape.

Repetition Rules

You may want to bring a dramatic focal point into your landscape with colorful furniture. In this landscape, we used repetition by matching the color from the client’s front door to both a planter and adirondack chairs on the porch. The viewer’s eye is drawn in by following each red element.

Stay in Scale

If you plan on using furniture as a focal point, keep these thoughts in mind:

• Be sure to stay in scale. Just as you wouldn’t choose a huge furniture piece for a smaller, intimate garden; a small piece would get lost in a large landscape.
   
• Don’t forget about existing focal points. Perhaps you already have a sculptural element in your landscape. Make sure you are accenting and not overwhelming your space with clutter.
   
• Use your focal point to distract attention from a less than desirable area. This works especially well if you have a neighbor with a less than ideal view—turn your focus in the other direction.

If you are ready to add sculptural furniture to your landscape, give us a call. We have the knowledge to blend your new furniture into your already existing aesthetic, while creating a new focal element for you to enjoy.