outdoor living

Architectural Landscape Design Blog

Posts Tagged ‘outdoor living’

Plan Your Decking Design Now: Decks To Consider For Slopes, Rocks, and Damp Areas

Tuesday, June 19th, 2012

Decking is a great way to float a solution over problem, unusable space in your yard, or even outside drains. It is an immediate solution to a place where installing a patio may not work for a variety of reasons. Creating a new place for sitting in difficult spaces is one of the things that our landscape designers and architects do best. They’ll work with you to answer the questions you may have and design a space that works.

While a deck is a platform made of wood, there are multitudes of interesting options. You can have a singular deck, a series of terrace like decking going up a slope, bridges made from decks over stone riverbeds, decks around trees, decks around trees next to patios, or decking snaking across your yard to create interest. These questions are just a few to consider for getting your decking plans started:

How are you going to use the deck, are you interested in sunbathing or sitting in the shade?

Do you want the kids to play on it, or is it for barbecuing, or both?

Do you want the deck to be isolated, or linked to the house physically?

Are you interested in it being at ground level, or raised up on legs?

Does your deck need to wrap around a corner of your house, or do you want it to come out like a pier?

Are you interested in the lowest maintenance wood or are you looking for a lower cost option?

How does your deck affect the view of your neighbors and their view of you?

Are there overhead power lines to consider that are going to be a problem?

How does the deck integrate with your overall house and landscape plan?

Do you want built in seating on your deck?

Let us help you with your decking designs call Architectural Landscape Design Minneapolis at 952-292-7717.

Tags: backyard garden minnesota, deck materials, decks, landscape design, minneapolis landscaper, outdoor living
Posted in Landscape Design Minnesota, Minneapolis Landscaping, Outdoor Living Spaces, Patio Decks | No Comments »

Hide the “Uglies”~ Air Conditioners, Garbage Cans, Recycling Bins, Utility Boxes, Plus More!

Tuesday, June 19th, 2012

Do you have any of these standing out in your yard or taking up needed room in your garage?

Garbage cans
Recycling bins for paper, aluminum
Compost bins
Air Conditioning units
On-ground electrical boxes
Well pump structures
Swimming pool equipment
Utility boxes
Potting bench
Out door sports equipment or gear

Most of these items are not known for their beauty, but you have to have them for the utility and functions they provide on a daily basis. Many of these eyesores aren’t something you can easily move. But you can hide them from you and your neighbor’s views by putting them behind attractive fencing, lattice screening, and plantings. Another option is to install stone walls or brick walls that block these “uglies” and stop the breeze to a nearby patio or deck. Retaining walls can also serve the dual purpose of minimizing the possibility of bad aromas from days-old garbage. On the flip side pleasant possibilities are to build a potting bench inside the enclosure, which can serve the dual purpose of a staging area for entertaining outside. You can also use this space as a locked area to keep out door sports equipment or gear. The flooring can be concrete, brick, gravel, pavers, etc.

Our landscape designers and architects can discuss your specific needs with you and design attractive alternatives that work for you and your family. One of the many solutions we offer including fencing, retaining walls, and lattice screens that have flower boxes on top. This option could if necessary make this a front yard option by placing it next to the garage doors. This option offers a great design feature as it can provide a real contrast to a solid set of garage doors!

If you are interested in creating a separate space to keep the “uglies” give us a call today for your free one-hour consultation at 952-292-7712.

Tags: backyard garden minnesota, fences, garbage cans, outdoor living, potting benches, recycling, retaining walls, stone walls
Posted in All, Hardscapes Minnesota, Landscape Design Minnesota, Minneapolis Landscaping | No Comments »

Pergolas: Creating Private Places

Tuesday, June 19th, 2012

You don’t need a lot of space to create a private place in the garden. If you don’t have a place that naturally is private you can create it by adding a pergola! It also doesn’t have to be in a corner, you can put a pergola wherever you have decided you want some seclusion. A pergola is an arbor or passageway of columns supporting a trelliswork roof.

Sometimes by simply screening off a section of the garden with a little latticework you can get a great sense of privacy. You can go from the simple pergola of two lattice panels at right angles with a simple beamed structure overhead. Or you can create a dramatic approach to a pergola by establishing a green lawn path or a brick paver herringbone opening into a larger area where you place the pergola. If you want to create it as a viewing platform for the rest of the garden build retaining walls and fill them in and elevate the pergola on a platform. The retaining walls can double as planters with stone steps leading up to it. You can have built in benches or chairs, use it as a setting for tables and chairs, or simply a set of chaise lounges.

Both the simple and the more elaborate pergola types provide places for a lot of ornamentation. You can have abundant plantings that go up the wooden structures’ walls and cascade down from the beams. You can paint or stain the structure in a variety of colors to make it more rustic or more dramatic.

Using the lattice work as a design feature you can “frame” vignettes” you want inhabitants or approaching guests to see. They can frame statutes of lovers, fountains with spray, particular plantings that you want to feature. The simplicity or complexity can be achieved also through the type of flooring you install. Some range from gravel to elaborate brick or natural stone paver patterns to concrete platforms.

Our landscape designers are experienced at designing pergolas call 952-292-7717.

Tags: arbors, garden design, landscape design, landscape designer, landscaping, landscaping contractors minneapolis, MN landscape designers, outdoor living, Outdoor Living Space Minneapolis, pergolas, stone walls
Posted in Designing Minnesota Gardens, Landscape Design Minnesota, Minneapolis Landscaping, Outdoor Living Spaces | No Comments »

Atriums Add Captivating Space and Light to A House

Tuesday, June 19th, 2012

Atriums are a popular addition to houses or a design feature because they add “a feeling of space and light.” An atrium typically is a large open space, sometimes several stories high that has a glazed roof. There are large windows also. They are either located right outside main entrance doors to a house or they are in the center of the house. They allow a homeowner to feel like they are outdoors all yearlong!

The famous Biltmore House in Asheville, North Carolina has one of the best examples of a wonderful atrium. While they are great additions to one’s house, there can be some issues if the initial assessment of the space’s needs isn’t performed correctly. The two main areas to review have to do with light and drainage.

The ALDM landscape designers and architects are experienced at building atriums. They work in the design phase to determine what rooms will face the atrium. They will incorporate the home’s architecture and the homeowner’s wish list of how the space will be used. In the planning step they investigate the light and drainage conditions that will affect construction.

What the atrium is used for can run the gamut; you may choose to fill yours with loose gravel, and a couple of favorite sculptures and a bench for meditation or serious thinking and enjoyment. Atriums can be quite formal paved with brick in a formal manner, or they can be informal. Atriums can be paved to create a courtyard, as long as drainage is provided. Plants can thrive in an atrium. The ALDM landscape designers will work with you. If you want to have “living” sculptures installing topiary frames and training climbing shade-loving vines over them.

The uses for atriums abound. You can use it for raising Japanese bonsai, running a model train, or simply using it for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. We can plan and install indoor and outdoor lighting that makes your atrium light up the night and your yard. Call us on 952-292-7717 today!

Tags: atrium, backyard garden minnesota, landscape architects, landscape designer, landscape lighting, minneapolis landscaper, minnesota landscaper, MN landscape designers, outdoor lighting, outdoor living, St Paul Landscaping Company
Posted in Designing Minnesota Gardens, Landscape Design Minnesota, Minneapolis Landscaping, Outdoor Lighting Contractor MN, Outdoor Lighting Minneapolis MN, Outdoor Living Spaces | No Comments »

Planting as Accents

Tuesday, June 19th, 2012

Accents what are they? We know in decorating they are the final touches sometimes or the one wall painted a different color that captures our attention. It’s the same way in the outside world!

Plantings as accents do one thing really well, they grab the attention. They direct traffic and can very subtly direct our thoughts about what we’re seeing there. A plant becomes an accent when it offers something unique. It’s color, form, texture, and size makes it stand out. If you use the same plant over and over something interesting happens. It ceases to have the same impact and it loses its edge as an accent.

A perennial bed with bright red flowers is a sharp contrast to a bed of white blooms. But if you put this mixture in the midst of dark pink blooms, it starts to fade in contrast and the accent is diminished. Looking at shrubs, take a group of round shrubs and put a conical shaped shrub in the middle and it becomes an accent. But if you put in a whole line of conical shaped shrubs they start to blend together.

Less is more, using accent plants to create focal points for outside rooms, you need to consider that there will be an indoor view and an outdoor view depending on where you are when you view the plants. So you want to place them next to things you want to show off or draw attention to.

How do you decide where to start? Look at your landscape plan where do you have spots you’d like to accent? Your outside room will have a welcoming touch if you focus on what the plants showy characteristics are that you are considering. What are the flowers, bark, leaves, berries, or shapes?

Our MN landscape designers and landscape architects can help find the plants that will accent your landscape. Call us on 952-292-7717.

Tags: backyard garden minnesota, garden design, minneapol, Minneapolis Garden Design, minnesota landscaper, mn garden plantings, outdoor living, Outdoor Living Space Minneapolis, St Paul Landscaping Company
Posted in All, Designing Minnesota Gardens, Landscape Design Minnesota, Minneapolis Landscaping, Minnesota Garden Plantings, Outdoor Living Spaces | No Comments »

Adding Some “Sizzle” With Fireplaces and Fire Pits to Light Up Your Night

Monday, April 23rd, 2012

Does the thought of seeing dancing flames and hearing a fire “sizzle” on a cool night or day warm you up? You can build fires in your backyard in the spring, fall, and winter, and yes even on a cool summer night.

You can add an outdoor fireplace to an exterior wall of your house or place one on the patio. Or you can build a fire pit. You can take the chill off on a spring or fall night and welcome people to your home on a winter night by adding a fire element.

Our MN designers and landscape architects have a lot of experience in designing fireplaces and fire pits with many options. We can check on any local regulations to determine if there are any use restrictions where you live, such as clearance requirements of an open flame from combustible surfaces and structures.

We can build you a fireplace or fire pit from brick or natural stone that either uses wood or gas. A freestanding fire pit built above the ground serves as an informal gathering place with seating even when it’s not “fired up”. You can add a cover so when it’s not in use it functions as a table for entertaining. Or best yet add some “sizzle” to a night and invite family and friends over for marshmallows and s’mores. Or you can build it flush with your patio so you can cover it with a lid once the fire is out. Adding cooking grates for barbecuing is another plus.

Whatever your choice fireplaces and fire pits offer another focal point for your yard year around. They’ll increase the pleasure you’ll find in your yard and add to the value of your property. Welcome nightfall to your yard with a little “sizzle” contact us on 952-292-7710.

Tags: backyard garden minnesota, fire pits minneapolis, fireplaces, Minneapolis Garden Design, outdoor fireplaces, outdoor kitchens, outdoor living
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Plan for Color in the Garden Now: Color It Warm or Cool!

Wednesday, March 21st, 2012

Your choices of color will determine whether your garden feels warm or cool. Thinking of your small garden as an outdoor living room that needs to be painted is extremely helpful. You can do this exercise anytime whether it’s Minnesota landscaping in winter, spring, fall or summer. The question is, “How do you want the space to feel?” The use of warm or cool colors in a small garden are critical, they can open it up or make it feel confined.

Cool colors—those centered on green, blue, and violet-tend to retreat visually, giving the impression of greater space. While warm colors— those that are clustered around yellow, orange, and red—come towards you, making the space seem smaller.

Choosing colors is something that our landscape designers at Architectural Landscape Design in MN excel in. We choose whatever you like and design it to meet your needs. Because at the end of the day it’s all about what you want and like.

Cool colors are usually the most effective in small gardens-but no need to be limited to them. You may want to use contrasting colors—violet and yellow are good, or any other colors that are directly opposite each other on the color wheel. If you decide to use warm and cool colors together, plan on four to five times as much of the cool color to balance the warm. Why? Because warm colors jump out at you, they demand attention.

Deciding on whether your outside garden room with color will be warm or cool can be a lot of fun, contact our Mpls and St. Paul landscape design group to help you design it. We’ll consider your trees and shrubbery to be the “trim” to your outside room, call us on 952-292-7717.

Tags: backyard garden minnesota, garden design, landscape design, landscape designer, landscapers minnesota, outdoor living, Outdoor Living Space Minneapolis, small garden design
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A Private Yard Equals Peace of Mind

Friday, November 18th, 2011

The peace of mind a yard offers is often a result of how much privacy a yard affords the homeowners. Start by being your own private eye, look around your yard. What do you want and need for privacy? Check it out from all angles. Go inside and consider your needs from that vantage point. When you stand at your kitchen sink, are you looking into a neighbor’s window or looking at their siding? If you need privacy at a window, planting evergreens won’t leave you exposed even in the winter. Window boxes can also screen your window from onlookers plus improve the view.

Go out into your yard sit in different locations around your yard, are there intimate and open spaces? Is the neighbor’s noise bothering you? Think of what will make you feel most comfortable in your yard. If your needs for privacy are met you will spend more time outdoors, enjoying all your yard has to offer.

Making plans? Our MN landscape designers and architects can help create the privacy your yard requires. We can help you in deciding the fence type, location, materials, and height that could work. Solid backyard fences offer complete privacy, but sometimes all that’s needed is a privacy screen for sunbathing, or a partially screening fence for fountains or seating areas. Where you only want to screen some views, say the air conditioner unit, we can offer solutions that include tall ornamental grasses, lacy bushes, or latticed panels or fences.

Solving the problem or noise nuisance from the street or other neighbor’s yards can be resolved with adding trees or shrubbery that add insulation or windbreaks. Or adding water features like waterfalls, streams, and fountains that through the sound of splashing water help mask the noise.

We can help you develop your privacy plan to create complete or partial privacy, set aside areas for different uses, conceal unattractive areas, and minimize noise and wind. Call 952-292-7712 for a free one hour no commitment consultation.

Tags: backyard garden minnesota, fences, landscape design, Minneapolis Garden Design, minneapolis landscaper, outdoor living, water features, waterfalls
Posted in All, Hardscapes Minnesota, Landscape Design Minnesota, Minneapolis Landscaping, Outdoor Living Spaces | No Comments »

Extend Your Outdoor Seasons with Heat

Friday, November 18th, 2011

When the temperature starts going down in the evening that is no reason to shorten a meal or go inside. You want your guests to be comfortable so aside from passing out blankets what can you do? There are several options to consider that our MN landscape designers and architects would be happy to review and make a plan that meet’s your needs.

You can install an outdoor fireplace so your alfresco dining and outdoor living can continue into the night and the next season. You can locate it on the edge of a patio, against a wall, or even in a corner to make it cozy. These can be used year around: Fall, Winter, Spring, and Summer! You can add areas for wood storage underneath so in the winter you don’t have to trek out to some remote woodpile to stoke the fire. You can also add stone ledges or mantels to the fireplace. This provides the opportunity for outdoor seasonal decorations and holiday lighting, plus a good place to put drinks.

Fire pits with a pile of logs burning in the middle are simply mesmerizing. It takes you back to roasting marshmallows, campfires, and camping. Fire pits can be sunk totally in the ground or built half way out of the ground with a retaining wall structure built from natural stones. You can have some fun and break away from the traditional round shape and go oblong to make it bigger allowing for more people to sit around it. If you want to go a step further have some stone built furniture, like sofas and chairs around the fire pit that you can add cushions and blankets to for that cozy campfire sleeping bag feel.

A fireplace or fire pit can add a fantastically fiery focal point to your yard call 95292-7717 to add some more warmth to your yard.

Tags: fire pits and pools, fireplaces, landscape design, landscape designer, minneapolis landscaper, outdoor fireplaces, outdoor living, Outdoor Living Space Minneapolis
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Patio Sitting Areas: A Place To Sit, Eat Al Fresco, Relax, Entertain and a SANDBOX?

Wednesday, September 28th, 2011

Eating Al Fresco is one of the simple pleasures whether it’s summer or fall. Being outdoors just seems to make everything better.

What changes if you have a poorly designed sitting area? Lots of newly built houses often have a patio or deck at the back of the house. However, many times they merely are a “token” patio or deck. There may be a couple of concrete slabs, but a lot of times it isn’t a big enough space to accommodate the needs of even a small family.

Choosing the right spaces and the right light is key to a good patio or sitting area. A spot with morning light would be lovely for that early morning cup of coffee or breakfast. Lunch might be best in dappled shade on a patio under a pergola with vines and climbing flowers. The end of your day might be when you want to catch the last of the sun’s rays and watch the sun go down.

We can help you track the sun’s progress around your yard, and help you design the best patios and sitting areas to meet your needs. At Minnesota’s Architectural Landscape Design we’re used to picking the best locations for patios that help you relocate throughout the day to get the sun exposure you desire.

The size of these patios can be just large enough for one bench or a single chair nestled among some plants, or a table and chairs, with space for a barbecue and even an outdoor kitchen or fire pit. Or you can extend the children’s play areas by sinking a sandbox in a patio with a removable cover, that allows for dual purposes and uses.

Choosing the right hardscapes: floors, pavers, retaining walls, or materials for a fire pit or outdoor kitchen will help establish the look and feel of the outdoor room. Call us today on 952-292-7712.

Tags: backyard garden minnesota, landscape design, outdoor kitchens, outdoor living, Outdoor Living Space Minneapolis, patios, retaining walls
Posted in Fire Places and Fire Pits, Landscape Design Minnesota, Minneapolis Landscaping, Patio Decks | No Comments »