Summer cottage design - the basics of landscape design and design rules (125 photos)

The area around the country house or private house a priori should be well-groomed, beautiful and landscaped. The organization of comfortable recreation areas, front gardens and flower beds, paving paths, artificial ponds, fountains - all this includes a country landscape design.

Of course, you can turn to professional designers and decorators for help, but it’s much simpler, more economical and more interesting to think about the design of your personal plot yourself.

Summary of the article:

Tasks of modern design

Regardless of the size of the site, designers try to achieve harmony between civilization and nature, using all the possibilities to create a unique atmosphere.

Often the main reference point is the owner’s inner world, his hobbies, hobbies, interests and tastes.

It is also important to take into account current trends. This season, among these principles is the desire to preserve the naturalness and primordialness of the surrounding world, which is reflected in the Alpine slides and the combination of floral arrangements with glass, stone and metal.

The fashionable design of a summer cottage is not complete without eclecticism - mixing different styles in one territory. True, in this case, one cannot do without professionalism and impeccable taste.

In general, the design of a summer cottage site with your own hands includes the sequential implementation of the following steps:

Step 1 - Explore 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

Over the hundreds of years of the existence of the art of landscape design for a summer cottage, several main ideological trends have been formed and defined, one of which in most cases is chosen as the main and determining as a whole for the situation.

So, we can distinguish the following styles:

Classics are geometrically regular French parks, where all elements and details are strictly calculated in certain proportions and sizes. The classical style implies the elevation of man over the 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 nature. Designers of this direction strive to give freedom to the environment, skillfully and accurately using natural beauty.

The rural style or “country” represents all branches of the home decoration of the territory by the inexperienced but inspired by the beauties of the owners. The main principle is arbitrariness and freedom of action, which gives people the opportunity to translate any fantasies into reality.

The emphasis on impressive-scale buildings is the idea of the architectural design of a summer cottage. It is characterized by an abundance of all kinds of bridges, columns, arches, terraces, platforms, arbors.

The Japanese style is filled with symbolism, meaning and the power of these artists and masters. Here, stone sculptures, complexes of boulders, modest-sized ponds and much more come to the forefront, allowing you to delve deeply into the contemplation of natural beauty.

We plan improvement

Only having decided on the dominant style, you can begin planning the landscape project. There are several layout standards: rectangular, round, diagonal and free.

The most optimal and universal is the location of the site in the form of a rectangle, which is convenient to divide into zones, highlight sections. Round often follows from a rectangular one, when right angles are rounded off due to flower beds, bushes or other natural and artificial structures.

Diagonal layout is more suitable for the design of a summer cottage within 6-10 hundred parts or less, since such a solution allows you to visually expand the space.

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

Select zones and sections

The allocation of certain functional zones will help to competently organize the space, 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, we can distinguish a garden, a recreation area, an economic area, a “dining room”, a children's and a sports ground.

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

Do not forget about the details

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

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

Not a single photo of the design of a summer cottage is complete without lush and eye-catching gardens. Often it is flower beds or compositions of shrubs and trees that become the accents of the whole decor.

The main selection criteria for suitable plants are personal tastes, appearance, compatibility, vitality. In addition to standard flower beds, you can use other forms of placement:

Group landing;
Workers;
Border
Tapeworm
Ground flower garden;
Mobile flower beds;
Arenaria.

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

We illuminate the territory

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

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

Turnkey landscape design always involves a comprehensive 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.