Ask any potential homeowner about what they want in a house, and chances are they’re going to say a proper backyard. The backyard is unique because it’s one of the few parts of the house that’s dedicated to leisure and nature. You can turn the space into a garden replete with shrubs and flowers, a backyard farm, or even an entertainment area with a pool and bar. If you want to make the most of your outdoor space, you might consider turning it into a pleasure garden.
Historically, pleasure gardens were public spaces devoted to entertainment. People would come to these places for live music, amusement rides, and animal displays. Today, homeowners have designed mini-pleasure gardens of their own. A modern pleasure garden isn’t just a backyard with a pool and a few chairs. It’s a proper space for entertainment, and design and landscaping are paramount.
There are a few things you need to consider when designing a pleasure garden for your home. You want to elevate your outdoor space from a basic backyard into a place for parties and gatherings. Choose the right garden products to help realize your vision for your garden. Here are a few design strategies that will help you design a proper space for outdoor entertainment.
1. Think about movement
Pleasure gardens are entertainment spaces, which means you need to consider how people will move around the place. The design should allow for seamless movement around the garden and between the outdoor space and your home.
For instance, you could keep the center free of obstructions and limit fixtures to the periphery. You also want your house and the garden to feel like one continuous space. Large windows will help bridge the gap between the interior and the exterior.
Finally, you also want to think about how you’re going to use the space. If you envision a garden for parties and gatherings, then you want to limit bulky furniture to a minimum and maximize open floor space.
2. Consider comfort
Unlike most backyards, comfort should be your top priority when designing a pleasure garden. If you’re going to build a place that will hold guests, then you better make sure that they’re going to be comfortable. No one will want to spend time in a garden that’s too warm or wet or cold.
You need to build with the weather in mind. Heat, cold, wind, and moisture all affect guest comfort, so choose a design that helps maintain ideal conditions even during adverse weather events. For instance, you can put up umbrellas to shield your guests from the heat. Outdoor heaters always come in handy during the cold seasons.
3. Narrow your focus
Designing a pleasure garden isn’t that much different from designing a living room or a den. The same design concepts apply, regardless of the setting. It helps to narrow your focus when designing an outdoor entertainment space. For instance, if you want to create an intimate space for small gatherings, your design choices should reflect that. There’s no point in designing a space that tries to achieve many things.
There are two schools of thought when it comes to outdoor design. On one hand, you can design an open space with few permanent fixtures. Your garden might be more versatile, but it will lack any personality or a sense of purpose. Meanwhile, you can create a garden with a singular purpose.
4. Don’t forget your privacy
A pleasure garden should feel like a self-contained bubble, and the only way to achieve that is to block out the outside world. You want your guests to forget their troubles so that they can focus on the purpose of the place: leisure and entertainment. You also don’t want to disturb your neighbors, especially if you entertain often. The best way to do that is to build a privacy fence around the perimeter of your property.
Privacy walls also serve as a security feature. You don’t want random strangers to walk into your garden. There might also be criminal elements scoping the neighborhood for potential targets. You don’t want to attract too much attention to your home.
The bottom line
These four tips will help you design a pleasure garden that will keep you and your guests entertained for years to come. Start by designing a layout that allows for free and unrestricted movement within the garden. You also want to minimize discomforts. Finally, privacy fencing will help create a bubble that will keep the outside world out of sight and mind.
