Contemporary Landscape Design Elements & Ideas to Inspire Your Own Property

If you’re taking a look at your front yard landscape design and decide it needs a refresh, there are tons of different approaches you can take. But, if you care about the functionality and sustainability of your yard aside from just the way it looks, contemporary landscape design may be the right fit for your preferences. 

In order to nail this type of landscape design, though, you’ll need to fully understand the core elements and history of contemporary landscaping. And that’s exactly what we’re going to do today.

Continue reading through this guide as we provide you with some contemporary landscape design ideas that you can try out in your yard, in addition to what the core principles are of this design style. 

What is Contemporary Landscape Design?

Before we can dive into some contemporary landscape design elements, we want to explain what this type of landscape is in the first place. 

If you’re unfamiliar, contemporary landscape design is a style that is constantly evolving and includes the trends that are currently popular today. While they may seem interchangeable, contemporary landscape design is not the same as modern landscape design and can draw inspiration from many different eras. 

History of This Landscape Design Style

There are many influences on contemporary landscape design that span widely across our culture and are constantly changing. Thus, throughout its history, contemporary landscape design has been continually shaped by both cultural and environmental factors. 

Early in the 20th century, contemporary landscape designers had an emphasis on functionality, simplicity, and efficiency. As the century progressed, contemporary landscape design became instrumental in the environmental movement of the 60s and 70s, creating a big push for eco-friendly and sustainable landscapes. 

More recently, contemporary landscape design has continued to evolve and adapt, still taking large inspiration from the sustainability movement, though now incorporating more modern technology and materials into the landscape. Further evolutions of this design style are sure to come as landscape designers adapt to the changing times and respond to new trends. 

What are the Contemporary Landscape Design Elements?

There are a number of core elements of landscape design that make up the contemporary style. One pillar of contemporary landscape design is taking the features that already exist in your yard and sprucing them up to make them evolve with the changing trends. 

The goal of contemporary landscape design is to create aesthetically pleasing outdoor spaces that are as functional as they are appealing to look at while keeping the design current with the trends. 

There are undercurrents of sustainable landscape design ideas in contemporary landscaping, as well as geometric features and patterns in both hardscapes and plants, though the style typically steers away from ornamental or lavish elements. 

How Contemporary Landscapes Compare to Other Design Styles

Contemporary landscape design is often compared to minimalist backyard landscape design with sleek lines and simplicity favored over complexity and over-the-top designs. 

As we mentioned before, contemporary and modern landscape design can often be confused with one another, though it’s important to remember that they are two distinct styles. Instead, the modern design style is closely related to the mid-century modern style of the previous century, whereas the contemporary landscape design style is always changing with the times. 

Should You Design a Contemporary Landscape?

After learning a little bit more about contemporary landscape design, you may wonder if this is the right fit for your yard and preferences. 

If you’re someone who likes taking the minimalist approach and making the most out of what you have already, this is a good option for you. This design style is more sustainable and eco-friendly since you’ll utilize as much of your existing landscape as possible rather than scrapping it completely and starting from scratch. So if this is something that’s important to you, you will likely enjoy a contemporary landscape design. 

Again, contemporary landscape design is something that’s constantly evolving, so if you like the idea of making frequent updates or additions to your yard to keep up with the times every year or so this may be the right fit. Plus, if you value how functional your yard is in addition to how good it looks, you’ll find the right balance in landscape design with a contemporary approach. 

Even still, making sure you can nail each of these elements together is not something that you’ll be able to do on a whim. Creating a landscape that is truly contemporary can take a lot of prep work and planning in order to pull it off correctly, which is something to keep in mind if you’re thinking of designing a contemporary yard yourself. 

Contemporary Landscape Design Ideas For Your Own Property

Now you know what contemporary landscape design looks like and why it’s become so popular, even if it requires some thoughtful planning work on your end. So, let’s finally provide you with some contemporary landscape design ideas so you can get to work!

Embrace Minimalism

As we’ve previously mentioned, contemporary landscape design takes a lot of inspiration from minimalism, which is something you can adopt in your own yard. 

Rather than adding large ornamental features or intricate flower bed patterns, contemporary landscape design calls on you to use simple shapes and clean lines in your yard. This means you’ll want to limit the number of different plans, materials, and textures you utilize in your landscape design. 

For instance, find a plant or two that you love, and go for repetition and multiples of this plant throughout your yard to create a streamlined and simplified look. Similarly, choose one type of paver to use throughout your landscape design rather than using many different materials. 

Plant Native Species

Another way to achieve a contemporary landscape design is to focus on planting native plant species in your yard. 

This is functional, a key pillar of contemporary landscape design, because the plants are inherently designed to live in your region. Plus, this makes your yard more sustainable because it won’t require as much attention or upkeep to keep native plants alive and healthy in your yard. 

Doing so will also promote the natural bio-diversity of your yard, which is another core aspect of contemporary landscaping. 

Create Functional Living Spaces

Contemporary landscaping is all about functional design, so don’t overlook the opportunity to create a functional living space in your yard. 

Consider underutilized areas of your yard, and see where you could add or emphasize the patio or deck with seating and hardscapes that are inviting and comfortable. Not only will this give you a practical place to entertain family and friends, but it will also decrease your need for watering and mowing in that area if you replace a portion of your lawn with a patio or similar feature–which is more sustainable. 

Go for Drought-Tolerant Plants

There are many drought-tolerant landscape design ideas out there, which will help you achieve a contemporary landscape design. Similar to why you should plant native plant species when you’re wanting to create a contemporary landscape on your property, this is a more sustainable and eco-friendly choice. 

By design, drought-tolerant plants require less watering and maintenance, which helps you achieve a simplified and sustainable landscape, which contemporary landscape design is all about. 

Add Lighting Features

Your landscape lighting layout can play a big role in your contemporary landscape design. Lighting features like path lights, spotlights, and uplights play both a functional and aesthetic role in your landscape. 

They can create depth and intrigue to the look of your yard, plus they can highlight prominent features and pathways to make your yard safe and functional even when the sun goes down. 

Michaelangelo’s Can Help You Bring Your Vision of a Contemporary Landscape to Life!

After taking a look at the contemporary landscape design elements we’ve laid out here, you may decide that you just don’t want to take on the massive workload that this will entail. Sure, you want your dream landscape to come to life, but you may be uncertain that your work alone will get you there. 

Luckily, working with Michaelangelo’s will make your life much easier, while still getting the landscape you’ve always wanted. 

Why Work With Michaelangelo’s?

As the premier providers of professional landscape design in Alpharetta, GA, we have years of experience and knowledge in the field to expertly design the landscape that fits all your preferences and needs. While you sit back and relax, we’ll make sure your ideal landscape comes to life. 

We eliminate the need for guesswork on your end, making sure to utilize the plants and features that are suitable to your yard, soil type, and design preferences. So, no need to worry about how you’ll achieve the contemporary landscape design look on your own and leave it to the experts instead so it gets done right the first time. 

In addition to our designing and installation services, we offer drainage solutions to keep erosion at bay and preserve your gorgeous landscaping for the years to come. 

We Can Help You Maintain Your Yard After the New Landscape is Installed, Too!

It’s true, we design and install fantastic landscaping, but that’s not all! We can also help you maintain and care for your yard year-round so you don’t even have to lift a finger at all. There’s no better way to enjoy your contemporary landscape design–let us handle the dirty work for you at all stages.   

No matter what type of property you have, we will handle your landscaping maintenance to your satisfaction. With either our commercial landscaping maintenance service or residential landscaping maintenance service we will keep your landscape in top condition no matter the property type. 

Bringing Our Conversation on Contemporary Landscape Design Ideas & Elements to a Close

A contemporary landscape design can be a great way to embrace minimalism and sustainability while making sure your yard is just as functional as it is beautiful. While it can be challenging to nail this look on your own, you don’t have to go it alone when you hire the experts. 

So, now that you know about Michaelangelo’s and our top-of-the-line landscape design, installation, and ongoing maintenance, it’s clear to see why you’d hire a landscape designer vs DIY your yard on your own. From start to finish, we help you avoid common avoid landscaping mistakes and allow you to just sit back and enjoy the beautiful landscape. 

Visit Michaelangelo’s today when you’re in need of premier landscaping in Alpharetta, GA.