Elements of Design

Arbors & Trellises, Custom Woodwork, DC Landscape Design, Design, Elements of Design, Garden Sculpture, Hardscaping, Horticulture, Landscape Design, Maryland Landscape Design, Northern Virginia Landscape Design, Principles of Design, Virginia Landscape Design

Transparency in the Landscape

As modern humans, we spend our days surrounded by solid, imposing “stuff”. We live in big brick and wood houses, drive two-ton steel vehicles to work on concrete and asphalt ...

by Dave Marciniak • November 7, 2011November 6, 2011

DC Landscape Design, Design, Elements of Design, Garden Sculpture, Garden Travel, Hardscaping, Horticulture, Landscape Design, Maryland Landscape Design, Northern Virginia Landscape Design, Principles of Design, Stone, Virginia Landscape Design

Landscape Design Lessons from a Newport Mansion

Several weeks ago MJ and I made the drive to Rhode Island for my niece’s high school graduation. We stayed an extra day so we could celebrate my mom’s birthday. ...

by Dave Marciniak • June 20, 2011June 17, 2011

DC Landscape Design, Elements of Design, Landscape Design, Maryland Landscape Design, Northern Virginia Landscape Design, Virginia Landscape Design

Elements of Design: Color

Color theory talks about three main topics: hue, value, and intensity. Hue and color are sometimes used interchangeably, and they refer to the named colors. Warm colors, like red, orange, ...

by Dave Marciniak • March 9, 2011

DC Landscape Design, Elements of Design, Landscape Design, landscape lighting, Maryland Landscape Design, Northern Virginia Landscape Design, Virginia Landscape Design

Elements of Design: Light

Unlike interior design, with landscape design light is what it is while the sun is shining. Where we can really play with light is after the sun goes down. The ...

by Dave Marciniak • March 7, 2011

DC Landscape Design, Design, Elements of Design, Landscape Design, Maryland Landscape Design, Northern Virginia Landscape Design, Virginia Landscape Design

Elements of Design: Pattern

I struggled with whether to include pattern or not in this series, because pattern is seen more commonly with interiors – think wallpaper and fabrics. In the near future I’ll ...

by Dave Marciniak • March 2, 2011

Concrete Design, DC Landscape Design, Design, Elements of Design, Hardscaping, Horticulture, Landscape Design, Maryland Landscape Design, Modern Design, Northern Virginia Landscape Design, Virginia Landscape Design

Elements of Design: Texture

Texture deals with how smooth or rough a surface is. When talking about elements of structures, smooth surfaces can often seem more modern and contemporary, while rough surfaces seem more ...

by Dave Marciniak • February 28, 2011

Design, Elements of Design

Elements of Design: Line

We all know what a line is: a connection of two or more points. In design, line happens when two planes meet, or when we see an object in silhouette. ...

by Dave Marciniak • February 23, 2011

Elements of Design

Elements of Design: Mass in Landscape Design

There was a guy at one of the gyms at which I worked out who had a T-shirt that said “don’t be passive, be massive.” He was definitely the latter; ...

by Dave Marciniak • February 21, 2011

DC Landscape Design, Design, Elements of Design, Hardscaping, Horticulture, Landscape Design, Maryland Landscape Design, Northern Virginia Landscape Design, Patio Designs, Principles of Design

Elements of Design: Shape or Form

We often think of shapes as two-dimensional: squares, rectangles, circles, and triangles. This isn’t how we perceive them in the landscape, however. We see them in three dimensions, like cubes, ...

by Dave Marciniak • February 15, 2011

DC Landscape Design, Elements of Design, Landscape Design, Maryland Landscape Design, Northern Virginia Landscape Design

Elements of Design: Space

Space is a funny concept in design, especially landscape design. Space is an abstract concept that can’t really be described until it’s defined by walls or boundaries. It’s a crucial ...

by Dave Marciniak • February 9, 2011