6 Hardscaping Trends in Landscaping
May 30, 2024The landscaping around your home helps create the look and feel around your home. It also helps create the first impression people will have of your home and affects curb appeal. When it comes to designing the landscape around your custom home, keeping up with hardscaping trends will help.
What is Hardscaping?
Landscaping is made up of two main elements – softscaping and hardscaping. Softscaping refers to the living elements of your landscaping, which is essentially the soft, growing stuff like vegetation. Hardscaping refers to the non-living elements, which is the hard, non-growing stuff like concrete, bricks, stone, finished wood, etc.
Hardscaping includes things like driveways, paved pathways, retaining walls, fountains, pool decks, etc. Outdoor living spaces like outdoor kitchens, patios, gazebos, and more are also considered hardscapes.
6 Popular Hardscaping Trends in Landscaping
As you plan out your landscaping, you want to balance the hardscape and softscape elements to provide a fully functional landscape. Here are some hardscaping trends to keep in mind:
1. Outdoor Kitchens
Outdoor kitchens are increasing in popularity. They tend to be the perfect fit for homeowners who love to cook and enjoy spending time outside. This is also a great opportunity to include appliances in your outdoor kitchen design that your indoor kitchen might not be able to handle like a brick oven, smoker, or barbeque.
Plus, you don’t usually get more open concept than outside. If you’re on the fence about adding an outdoor kitchen to your custom home plans, consider the pros and cons of outdoor kitchens to determine whether one is right for you.
2. Fire Pits
Fire pits are another hardscape addition that can take your landscaping to the next level. These are often integrated into a stone patio or are stand-alone elements that can be moved as needed. Several fire pit options are available including a wood-burning fire pit or a gas unit.
A gas unit does not generate smoke and sparks, so most municipalities allow them to be placed almost anywhere. Wood generates more heat and does emit smoke as well as sparks, so there are usually limitations on how close they can be placed to other structures. There are several dos and don’ts of fire pits to keep in mind as you think about whether one makes sense for your landscaping plans.
Some fire pits can even be placed near pools or combined with a fire and water bowl, which is one of the pool design trends. Each option has its benefits, so it just depends on where you want to put your fire pit and what atmosphere you prefer.
3. Natural Stone
The natural stone look is a popular hardscaping look. Natural stone pavers and the gray and tan colors of natural stone are on-trend when it comes to hardscape. Natural stone comes in a wide variety of textures and colors, which makes the incorporation of it highly customizable. There are also several types of stone veneer you can consider to further complement your hardscaping.
This hardscaping trend is all about getting a classic, natural look with more texture and feeling than standard concrete. Stone pathways are also one of the pool landscaping ideas to elevate the look and feel of your pool while also adding necessary function, comfort, and flow to your backyard.
4. Artistic Pathways
Pathways with an artistic look are garden path ideas that are also becoming popular in hardscaping. A mosaic look is a great way to incorporate an artistic touch into your pathways. The mosaic style can be achieved with designs made of pavers, tiles, or stamped concrete. If you’re planning on including raised garden beds in your landscaping, getting creative with the pathways around and between them can elevate your exterior.
You can also create them by mixing materials like pebbles, glass, and seashells to create a mosaic design in your pathways. This hardscaping trend is a great way to add some pizzazz on the way to the pool, gazebo, or mailbox, around a garden, or in the garden itself. Artistic touches like shapes, materials, and designs are also creative driveway ideas.
5. Biophilic Design
Biophilic design is all about intentionally including and seamlessly designing spaces around nature and featuring natural elements. When incorporating elements of biophilic design into your landscaping, this can be features like green roofs, rooftop or balcony gardens, living walls, plants as privacy fences, and more.
Using plants as a fence is one of the ways to add privacy to your backyard while incorporating a touch of biophilic design. With sustainability as a focus, these softscape elements should be seamlessly integrated with any hardscaping for complete integration.
6. Smart Tech Integration
Smart technology has evolved into several residential applications and continues to creep into hardscaping trends and landscaping outdoor spaces as well. Automated lighting systems with varying outdoor lighting options are popular for illuminating walkways, porches, other outdoor living spaces, and specific outdoor features.
Automated irrigation systems and water efficiency monitoring and management solutions are also becoming more popular technology integrations, especially for a lot of land and for specific landscaping features. App-controlled outdoor audio systems are popular options for supporting backyard entertainment.
Design & Build Your Dream Home With CHG
Hardscaping can add a unique element to your landscaping while also providing functional outdoor spaces for your custom home. Because these elements are more permanent, it’s important to plan ahead for them and build them into the design of your home to avoid landscaping mistakes. If you’re considering your own custom home, contact Custom Home Group at 717-284-4090 to make your dream home a reality!