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Design of a suburban area — the basics of building landscape design and design rules (125 photos)

The area around the cottage or private house a priori should be well-groomed, beautiful and well-maintained. The organization of comfortable recreation areas, front gardens and flower beds, paths made of paving stones, artificial reservoirs, fountains – all this includes suburban landscaping.

Of course, you can ask for help from professional designers and decorators, but it is much easier, more economical and more interesting to think about the design of your own backyard.

Regardless of the size of the site, designers are trying to achieve harmony between civilization and nature, using all opportunities to create a unique atmosphere.Often the main reference point is the inner world of the owner, his hobbies, hobbies, interests and tastes.


It is also important to take into account current trends. This season, among such principles is the desire to preserve the naturalness and primevalness of the surrounding world as much as possible, which is reflected in the Alpine slides and the combination of floral compositions with glass, stone and metal.

The fashionable project of a suburban area is not complete without eclecticism – mixing of various stylistic trends in one territory. However, in this case it is impossible to do without professionalism and impeccable taste.

In general, the design of a country house with your own hands includes the sequential implementation of the following steps:

  • Step 1 – Exploring Existing Styles;
  • Step 2 – Choosing a suitable layout;
  • Step 3 – Zoning the space;
  • Step 4 – Thinking through the composition of each section;
  • Step 5 – Lighting.

Landscape styles

For hundreds of years of the existence of the art of landscape design for a suburban area, several main ideological trends have been formed and defined, one of which in most cases is chosen as the main and determining in general for the situation.

So, the following styles can be distinguished:

Classics are geometrically correct French parks, where all elements and details are strictly calculated in certain proportions and sizes. The classical style implies the elevation of a person above the surrounding world, the subordination and ordering of nature for the benefit of civilization and aesthetics.

The landscape current ideologically opposes the classics, as it glorifies nature in its pristine and untouched state. Designers of this direction strive to give freedom to the environment, skillfully and carefully using natural beauty.

The rural style or "country" represents all the branches of the home decoration of the territory by inexperienced, but inspired by the beauty of the owners. The main principle is arbitrariness and freedom of action, which gives people the opportunity to make any fantasy come true.

The emphasis on the impressive scale of buildings is the idea of architectural design of the suburban area. It is characterized by an abundance of various bridges, columns, arches, terraces, platforms, gazebos.


The Japanese style is filled with symbolism, meaning and is within the power of real artists and craftsmen. Here, stone sculptures, boulder complexes, modest-sized reservoirs and much more come to the fore, allowing you to deeply immerse yourself in the contemplation of natural beauty.

We are planning landscaping

Only after deciding on the dominant style, you can start planning a landscape project. There are several layout standards: rectangular, round, diagonal and free.

The most optimal and universal is the location of the plot in the form of a rectangle, which is convenient to divide into zones, to allocate sections. A rectangular one often results in a round one, when right angles are rounded due to flower beds, bushes or other natural and artificial structures.

The diagonal layout is more suitable for the design of a suburban area within 6-10 acres or less, since such a solution allows you to visually expand the space.

Free style is a choice for large spaces, because here you need to play with squares, create accents and certain zones.

Allocated zones and sections

The allocation of certain functional zones will help to organize the space correctly, especially if it is limited. Such a division, among other things, will make the site convenient and visually expand its boundaries.

The number and size of each section depends on the available territory and the preferences of the owner. So, it is possible to allocate a garden, a recreation area, an economic area, a "dining room", a children's playground and a sports ground.


At the same time, individual islands should be united by a common idea, and transitional bordering elements are flowerbeds, fences, arches, decorative structures.

Don't forget about the details

It is possible to achieve an ideal and fully finished design on a suburban plot only by taking into account each element of the overall composition. So, a soft and smooth lawn is considered indispensable, which not only decorates the space, fills in decorative gaps, but also performs purely practical functions: it has a beneficial effect on the soil, cleanses the air, muffles street sounds.

The garden path acts as the "spine" of the site, as it connects various zones and provides access to them. There are many options for the design of paths from the standard trampled to laid with separate smooth stones, asphalt or special paving stones.

No photo of the design of a suburban area is complete without lush and attention-grabbing gardens. Often it is flower beds or compositions of shrubs and trees that become the accents of the whole situation.

The main criteria for selecting suitable plants are considered personal tastes, appearance, compatibility, vitality. In addition to standard flower beds, other forms of placement can be used:

  • Group boarding;
  • Discounts;
  • Border;
  • Tapeworm
  • Parterre flower garden;
  • Mobile flower beds;
  • Arenarium.

Also, reservoirs are an interesting decoration of the space. However, it should be borne in mind that such decor (pool, pond, stream, fountain) requires constant care. An excellent alternative can be an alpine slide, which is difficult to create, but completely unpretentious in courtship.


Lighting up the territory

The presence of a lighting system on the site is practical and aesthetically pleasing, especially if long–term outdoor seating is planned at night.

At the same time, there are many options for placing light sources: basic spotlights, classic lamps along the paths, marking accents, decorative illumination of significant objects and plants.

Turnkey landscape design always involves complex decoration of the site in compliance with fashion trends and personal preferences of the owners.

But not everyone can afford the services of expensive specialists, and limited areas usually do not require extensive work. The best way out is to take the arrangement of the site into your own hands.

Photo of the design of the suburban area