Your Smile To The World
When we approach home, our first impression is obviously what’s in the front yard. If it’s strewn with beer bottles and refuses, well, we make a harsh judgment concerning the occupants. An abandoned automobile, rusting and rotting, would do the same. The appearance of reckless disregard for cleanliness would be the first judgment, I would think. Plus, we have learned far too much about what seems to be the primary recreational activity. Everything screams “Stay away!”. Well, to most of us anyway.
I use such an extremely negative example to consider our focus on the front yard, rather than to purse my lips and “tut-tut” anyone’s bad day. The impression is strong, right off the bat, and judgments are made about the occupants in short order. Generally speaking, it is the same with any other front yard not containing piles of garbage. The design, its relative maintenance, and the amount of individuality can not only reveal much about its owner but can also provide something additional to a person’s day. It can give a literal sense of pleasure and even be more than “just a yard”. Even one tiny creative portion can draw the eye and make things far more interesting for the observer.
What Looks Good And Why?
In the picture above of a newer home in a Reno, Nevada subdivision, a nice green expanse is bisected and made far more interesting by some curving features bordering not only its periphery but also a bed set smack in the middle of things. This middle bed serves to break up the larger green sightlines into smaller parts, creating immediate interest in the content of the beds themselves (and particularly if what’s inside is interesting) as well as giving an appealing curving characteristic that the most gentle landscapes tend to have.
It has been my experience that the curving line in landscape design provides the most soothing and somehow fascinating appeal. When what we do on the inside of what those curving lines separating the bed from the lawn provide also has an interest, we have succeeded in doubling our efforts and results, simply by using a curving principle.
The next picture reminds us we do not need immense space or simply flowers to make for an interesting approach. Taken in Autumn, this picture from Louisville, Kentucky’s St. James Court area, gives a partnership of earthy color to blend with an old-fashioned brick home to augment and focus our sight on what really appeals about the home. A very darling “do it yourself” feel to this landscape tells us the owner cares deeply about and enjoys where he lives. His efforts are not wasted one iota as those gorgeous colors remind us, in Fall, that they were undoubtedly completely gorgeous during Spring and Summer as well.
Elements To Think About
Other, more permanent entries can feature not only plants, grass, and design elements like artwork or boulders, but they can also feature interesting surfaces to walk on to get to the home itself. Make no mistake, there are some hugely attractive surfaces available for gorgeous entries.
