Posts Tagged ‘leading the eye’

The importance of creating focal points

5 Written by Lisa on 17th Aug 2015 in Design Tips

Bench in Homebase Garden RHS Chelsea 2014 Lisa Cox Designs

However large of small your garden is, introducing deliberate focal points will help to create a journey around your garden.

You want any focal points in your garden to be attractive and uplifting.  Rotary washing lines and trampolines are not part of this list, but they can demand your attention if they’re positioned in view.

Tom Stogdon Sculpture in M&G Garden RHS 2015 Chelsea Flower Show Lisa Cox

I have a thing about washing lines and I’m really strict about putting ours away when it’s not being used.  Apart from the fact that they’re far from attractive, they tend to be placed in the middle of the lawn so when you gaze through the window, they block off what’s beyond even if there’s no washing handing out.

Prestige vase by Poterie le Chene Vert

When I’m tackling a new design for a garden I always think about key viewing points, from the kitchen window for example.  You want your garden to look good, but you also want it to invite you outside.  Focal points will help to do this.

wild summer garden Lisa Cox Garden Designs

Benches make great focal points as they really do lure you outside.  Equally, something like a bistro table and chairs set beneath a tree will do the same job.  It doesn’t even have to be fully visible, but it does need to give enough of an impression to make you want to go outside and take a closer look.

Grandpa's bench by RozSheffield Flickr image

But focal points can be anything.  If you’re clever, you can use them to create a journey around the garden, one focal point leading you on to the next.  They keep the garden interesting.  So, for example, you may get to the bench at the end of the garden and find a sculpture hidden in the planting that can only be seen when you’re sitting on the bench.

Majestic oak tree in Surrey hills Lisa Cox Garden Designs

You could have a garden mirror mounted on a wall with climbers scrambling all around it.  Or, it could be as simple as a beautiful tree with amazing bark or fabulous foliage.  The oak tree above is out in the landscape, but hopefully you get the idea.  In fact, borrowing things in the landscape can be a neat trick too.

The possibilities are endless, but the results will be the same.  Your garden will not only look amazing but it will also speak to you too!

 

 

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Lisa Cox Welcome

I specialise in helping families to turn their gardens into an extension of their home and into a space that can be used and enjoyed all year round.

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