Mid Century Modern Landscaping
Mid century modern landscaping continues to remain popular even though we are well into the 21st Century now.
This is because many of the custom, modern, and contemporary homes today continue the major themes of mid-twentieth century modern architecture. Architectural geometry based on quadrilateral, rectilinear movement, and a strong emphasis on windows and doors are all motifs that were developed long ago and continued to be used today’s custom home market.
While these homes may not be mid-20th Century per se, the adaptability of landscaping ideas from this era lend themselves superbly to custom designs that add value to today’s newest homes that feature the boldest statements of function blended with form.
Anyone with a home that is built with these clearly recognizable motifs can benefit in a number of ways from mid century modern landscaping.
The obvious aesthetic benefit will be a Houston landscaping design that is closely follows the shape, size, and appearance of the home itself. The financial benefits include lasting curb appeal, a generally low-maintenance landscape design, and a yard that is remarkably eco-friendly due to the abundant opportunity to use native plant life.
Properties developed along mid-century ideals tend to look remarkably well-maintained throughout the year. This is due to a unique combination of symmetry and variety that is characteristic of this style. A clearly established sense of order and system pervades mid century modern landscaping. As the eye moves from the front of the yard to the very back of the property, a series of recognizable, simple geometric shapes are enhanced with a mix of materials that add color, texture, form, and appropriate levels of vertical impact. This creates a pattern that expands away from the structure of the house to offer multiple prime vantage points from both its interior and from each special zone of interest.
One of the more unique characteristics of mid century modern landscaping is its unification of the entire property into a single outdoor living environment that offers no clear distinction between the front and the back yard. This is very important to the curb appeal of the home because a person looking out onto the landscape from the inside of the home will get the sense that the basic elements of the interior floor plan, along with many of the comforts it houses, have been continued beyond the walls of the house into the far corners of the entire surrounding property.
Due to the rather conservative and somewhat mathematical nature of this style, it does not require a large number of plant species to create interesting softscape accents. Repetition of trees, shrubs, ground covers, and perennial flowering plants are used to reinforce major themes and tie different zones of interest together.
Typically, too, mid century modern landscaping offers the discriminating homeowner the opportunity to save on maintenance costs. Many of the plants we use in these designs tend to come either from Texas or from ecosystems much like ours. Many are low-growth and drought resistant, making them ideal for long-term curb appeal because they can endure the problematic weather of our part of the world and grow at a very slow rate that minimizes the need for regular pruning.