A striking architectural silhouette, well-painted siding, and details like shutters or windows all play a huge part in your home’s curb appeal. Excellent landscaping also helps tell a story and isn't to be underestimated. Whether your home is a new build or has some stories to tell, opting for a modern landscaping approach can help tie everything together in a way that feels fresh, refined, and inviting.
The key to modern landscaping is balancing simplicity and functionality while also infusing some character via careful contrast and special details. Modern landscape design often employs the use of clean lines and edges as well as an overall orderly aesthetic—often with a lot of geometry in play. You're also likely to see minimalistic features like concrete paths and patios paired with metal accents. What you won't see in a modern landscape is wildly wandering vines, exuberant flowering shrubs, or a large hodge-podge of plants—these all skew a bit too traditional.
To help inspire your own yard makeover, we’re showcasing beautiful examples of modern landscaping ranging from minimalist to sustainable.
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Concrete Block Pavers and Grass
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This ultra-modern, minimalist home features clean lines all around. In the yard, which was designed by Nievera Williams, the bright green, perfectly manicured lawn serves as a striking contrast against the home's white exterior. Meanwhile, large rectangular blocks of concrete create both a sense of artistic creativity and functionality.
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Rustic Modern Landscaping
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Modern landscaping isn't just for modern architecture, as seen at this rustic home by Michael O’Brien of Hommes + Gardens, where beautiful clay pots filled with lush greenery line the exterior walls. Here, spherical shrubs, tiered topiaries, and slender evergreens all borrow from the modern playbook for a dynamic, symmetrical look.
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Korean Grass Alternative Lawn
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After dealing with a fussy front yard that required lots of water and routine mowing, Ben Fredrickson of Fredrickson Landscape, Inc. decided to abandon traditional lawns for something a bit more sustainable (and spectacular!). In this modern landscaping design, he opted for Korean grass (zoysia tenuifolia), which creates a wavy ground cover that resembles moss. It's paired with tall succulents, a simple wood fence, and a fire pit area for cozy congregating.
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Modern Tropical Landscaping
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Symmetry often comes into play when designing modern landscapes, which you can see in this beautiful display created by Cortney Bishop. A series of palm trees line the geometric walkway, while a peat carpet and green shrubs create some softness to contrast the hard edges.
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Boulders and Gravel
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Don't write off boulders as a special feature in a modern landscaping design. Here, Meredith Owen Interiors opted for rugged symmetry by placing two large rocks atop gravel near the sidewalk entrance.
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Water Fountain and Lush Greenery
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Water fountains are another feature that often find their way into modern landscaping design. Here, Hommes + Gardens opted for a stone water feature with some European influence, offset by minimalist geometric swaths of grass, modern seating, and lush greenery that creates privacy for this inviting cove.
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Metal Plant Boxes
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Often, less is more when it comes to modern landscaping. In this design by Meredith Owen Interiors, a simple grass lawn is accentuated by large metal plant boxes that line the home's exterior. They're filled with beautiful plants in a spectrum of colors and textures to capitalize on visual intrigue.
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Natural Grass and Cozy Seating
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This outdoor living space was landscaped and designed by Denise Davies, founder of D2 Interieurs, and features a geometric base with retro-modern furnishings."The tile is custom-poured concrete with river rocks in place of grout," she says."The cement gives the patio a very modern feel, and the river rocks balance the modern with nature." Surrounding the area are grasses and tropical plants.
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Palm Trees and Large Planter
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Here's another example of how to work palm trees into your modern landscaping design. Four sit on this lot, designed by Bishop, and surround a large concrete planter in the center filled with brightly colored flowers and tall foliage.
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Solar Lights and Soft Grasses
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This Spanish Colonial Revival home shows that modern landscaping truly can work for a variety of architectural designs. Lush green grass helps set the stage here, while large, off-set blocks of concrete with gravel between create a minimalist pathway. It's lined with soft grasses and solar lights for a cozy glow come dusk.
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