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 … [Read more...]
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. Since everyone had … [Read more...]
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, … [Read more...]
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 most obvious way to … [Read more...]
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 do a … [Read more...]
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 … [Read more...]
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. Line helps us play with scale … [Read more...]
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; you kind of have to be to pull … [Read more...]
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 … [Read more...]
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 … [Read more...]