Revolutionary Gardens

  • About our team
    • Press
  • Portfolio
    • Featured Projects
      • Fredericksburg Landscape Design and Pool
      • Pond install in Prince William County
      • Culpeper Landscape Design
      • Culpeper Modern Backyard Landscape Design
      • Sperryville landscape design with ponds and waterfalls
      • Fredericksburg landscaping at Chancellorsville
      • Lake Anna landscaping & planting
      • Culpeper Winery Landscape Design
      • Oakton Modern Landscape Design
    • Plantings
    • Patios & walks
    • Pools & Ponds
    • Pavilions & Porches
    • Pergolas & Decks
    • Outdoor kitchens
    • Fireplaces & Firepits
    • Retaining walls
  • Services
    • Landscape Design
    • Landscape Installation
    • Landscape Maintenance
    • Water Features
    • Outdoor Lighting
    • Outdoor Kitchens
    • Estate Gardening
  • Blog
  • Contact
  • SHOP

Elements of Design: Shape or Form

February 15, 2011 by Dave Marciniak 4 Comments

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, spheres, and cones. Shape (or form) in the landscape can even dictate how a space feels.

This is a backyard I did for a client in Phoenix, Arizona (sorry, pygmy date palms aren’t going to work in your McLean landscape design). As you can see the shapes are all sinuous curves with nary a straight line in sight. This gives the yard a much more casual, relaxed feel.

Here, you see a lot more angularity of design. This house is a very dominating, simple, rectangular shape, so it made sense to carry those lines all the way to the street. In so doing, you can see we also used the principle of unity (part of harmony). It all ties together!

Part of the reason that I think it’s important to discuss shape in the landscape is that I see a lot of folks forgetting that the shape of their home is a dominant part of the design. Everyone wants flowing curves on everything. Well, I wish I could wear a paisley suit jacket, but I’ll never be able to rock that look. Such is life.

Unless your home was designed by Frank Gehry (or you live in an igloo), your home is a box. Or it’s a grouping of a few boxes. Regardless, the dominant form is rectilinear. That doesn’t mean that you’re limited to a simple rectangular patio, for example.

In the photo above, the house is a massive, two and a half story brick edifice. The client initially wanted big sweeping curves on the patio. I tried, but nothing worked. It was as wrong as sticking a trucker cap on the Queen of England’s head. So, we did a stepped edge on the patio to break up the profile and allowed all the plant beds to swoop and curve and blend the landscape design into the woods. The design finally worked, and what’s even better – the client loves it.

Shape’s fun to play with. It’s one of my favorite parts of landscape design.

Next up: Mass!

Filed Under: DC Landscape Design, Design, Elements of Design, Hardscaping, Horticulture, Landscape Design, Maryland Landscape Design, Northern Virginia Landscape Design, Patio Designs, Principles of Design Tagged With: alexandria landscape design, arlington landscape design, clifton landscape design, culpeper landscape design, delaplane landscape design, elements of design, fairfax landscape design, falls church landscape design, great falls landscape design, landscape designer virginia, leesburg landscape design, manassas landscape design, McLean landscape design, northern virginia landscape design, principles of design, purcellville landscape design, the plains landscape design, Tysons Corner landscape design, vienna landscape design, warrenton landscape design

About Dave Marciniak

Dave Marciniak is a landscape designer and speaker. He lives in Culpeper, Virginia and can be found via his website and on Twitter.

Comments

  1. Karen says

    February 15, 2011 at 9:26 am

    The dream landscape in my head, the one I would pull off if money were no object, is filled with geometric shapes. Extremely formal with square and conical shrubs and huge spherical stones in between.

    Reply
  2. admin says

    February 15, 2011 at 9:40 am

    That would be pretty awesome. Did you see A Man Named Pearl on HGTV? http://www.hgtv.com/a-man-named-pearl/show/index.html

    Reply
    • Karen says

      February 16, 2011 at 8:43 am

      Fun link. So beautiful!

      Reply
  3. admin says

    February 16, 2011 at 10:55 am

    The man is an artist. Heck of a story, too!

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • YouTube

Archives

814 S. Blue Ridge Ave
Culpeper VA
22701
540-827-4299

Start planning your dream backyard today

Join our weekly email to get loads of ideas, inspiration, and tips for creating your ultimate staycation

  • About our team
    • Press
  • Portfolio
    • Featured Projects
      • Fredericksburg Landscape Design and Pool
      • Pond install in Prince William County
      • Culpeper Landscape Design
      • Culpeper Modern Backyard Landscape Design
      • Sperryville landscape design with ponds and waterfalls
      • Fredericksburg landscaping at Chancellorsville
      • Lake Anna landscaping & planting
      • Culpeper Winery Landscape Design
      • Oakton Modern Landscape Design
    • Plantings
    • Patios & walks
    • Pools & Ponds
    • Pavilions & Porches
    • Pergolas & Decks
    • Outdoor kitchens
    • Fireplaces & Firepits
    • Retaining walls
  • Services
    • Landscape Design
    • Landscape Installation
    • Landscape Maintenance
    • Water Features
    • Outdoor Lighting
    • Outdoor Kitchens
    • Estate Gardening
  • Blog
  • Contact
  • SHOP

Design Inspiration

Get the latest on minimalism and white space. Simple as that.

Our mailing address

814 S. Blue Ridge Avenue
Culpeper VA 22701

(540) 401-5885

Connect with us

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Phone
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • About our team
  • Portfolio
  • Services
  • Blog
  • Contact
  • SHOP

Copyright © 2022 · Agency Pro on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in