4 Roles Masonry Plays in Landscape Design in the Hope, NJ, Area
Naturalistic landscape design involves artfully blending various features to create outdoor spaces that appear as though they were always a part of the natural landscape. Expert masonry is key to achieving the practical and aesthetic design elements that make such a landscape feel complete. To inspire your next project, here are four ways stone features could be incorporated in your refreshed landscape in the Hope, NJ, area.
A Reason to Spend More Time Outside
One focus of a new landscape design could be the establishment of what you could consider an outdoor living space—a place all your own that you will want to spend as much time as you can, as much time as Mother Nature will allow. Compelling features—such as a dramatic bluestone patio, a charming flagstone walkway, a cozy fire pit area, or garden steps—will transform a bland landscape and draw you away from your house to spend quality time outdoors.
Alongside the stone features are naturalistic elements such as pollinator gardens and water-wise native plants. Such elements can reduce a home’s eco-footprint while also reducing maintenance requirements and improving the homeowners’ quality of life.
There is an art to achieving this kind of landscape, one that feels a part of nature yet can be cozy and sophisticated at the same time. A balance is needed for establishing gathering and entertaining outdoor spaces for homeowners to enjoy the outdoors in style while also honoring their surroundings.
This could mean choosing natural stone for a patio, and the overall effect will be that it appears as though it has always belonged on the property. The irregular shapes, carefully arranged, will be unique and reflect a free-form design (versus, perhaps, a pure circle or rectangle). It becomes a full part of the natural surroundings.
Practicality
New stone features could start out as having a solely practical purpose but end up being stunning focal points in the landscape. One such example is the humble retaining wall, which can be constructed to hold back soil in a beautiful way when made of natural stone. Retaining walls could even feature built-in seating, niches to house artwork, a water fountain, or integrated landscape lighting.
Drama
Nobody “needs” a water feature in their backyard. Or do they? In our increasingly fast-paced, stressful world, nothing beats the sound of moving water to bring us back to our natural sense of tranquility. A naturalistic water feature could be just the thing to help you completely unplug from a hectic workday while enjoying the serene retreat of your own backyard.
Social Interaction
The unprecedented year of 2020 has brought the importance of social interaction to the forefront yet made real-life interactions quite challenging. Spaced-out spaces around the fire pit were one of the few places people could properly gather outdoors and keep the social interactions going when the weather changed. After all, what better place to relax with friends than around a fire pit? Depending on the types of stone used, your fire pit could be a rustic throwback to summer camp or an elegant feature more reminiscent of a luxury mountain hideaway.
As well, you could enjoy cooking and sharing meals in the great outdoors with a beautiful grill station. Consider an L-shaped grill station where one leg of the L is devoted to cooking, and the other serves as a bar where guests can gather and be part of the action without being in the way. Using the same materials and installation techniques as on other vertical features (such as a fire pit and retaining walls) will create an elegant, cohesive look throughout your outdoor living space.
Related: How Masons Near Me Create One-of-a-Kind Water Features in Branchville and Sparta, NJ, Areas