3 Basic Design Principles to Help Make Your Patio Look Its Best

There are many simple ways to enhance the look of your patio.  However, using these 3 basic design principles is a surefire way to guarantee your patio will look its best.  Whether you incorporate them into the planning of your patio or use them to add beauty to your already existing one, these tried and true principles always work.

Balance

Balance is an often-overlooked principle however it’s one that can really make your patio look much more cohesive. Many homeowners don’t even think about or consider balance when planning or adding features to and around their patio, ending up with a space that looks uneven. Having a large feature on one side and nothing to even it out on the other is unpleasing to the eye.

Balance can be achieved in the simplest way by placing the same object or feature on one side of your on the other.  For example, the same type of trees, flowers, or shrubs planted on opposite sides of your patio is an extra easy way to ensure balance. It can also be achieved with objects, features, or garden furniture that are different yet roughly of equal size or shape.

A medium-sized tree on one side of the patio could be balanced by an outdoor bar on the other. Balance is also important when it comes to features that are next to each other.  A small pond by itself might look out of place but by planting an overhanging dwarf maple tree balance is all but assured and it adds a sense of unity as well.

Unity

Unity is another vital principle when it comes to creating a great-looking patio. In fact, it is virtually impossible to have one unless your patio and all of its elements blend together in harmony. This could be accomplished in quite a few ways.  Using a color scheme that mixes well together is key and this will in turn influence the materials you choose to use in your project.

Choosing a unifying theme or style that you incorporate in the plants, furniture, materials, and features you use is another way.  And of course, don’t forget if your patio is close to your house it is very important to take the style, colors, and materials of your home into consideration as well so that all of the elements of your outdoor space can work to complement each other while also providing a sense of unity.

Focal Points

Focal Points while not absolutely necessary, they are a fantastic way to enhance the look of your patio. A focal point is a point of interest and incorporating one into the design of your patio can help to bring it to the next level.

While some homeowners are lucky enough to have a gorgeous mountain or waterfront view already and can design their patio with outdoor seating, furniture, and landscaping which highlights these natural focal points, other homeowners create their own. Adding a water feature or pond is a great idea as not only do they add beauty but the relaxing sound of water as well.

Even something as simple as a garden bench placed conveniently in the background near a flower garden or under a shady tree, yet still in your line of sight as you look out from your patio is an inexpensive yet work as a fantastic looking focal point that draws your eyes across your yard or garden. Statues, birdbaths, and unique-looking flowers or plants are other options that can really enhance the look of your patio.

Balance, unity, and focal points all have the potential to increase the look as well as the feel of your patio and outdoor space.  Using all of these principles together especially when planning your patio is the best approach and one which will allow your patio to shine to its true potential. However even just applying one or two to your existing patio can make a huge impact!

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