The Garden Edit: 6 Ideas for the Ultimate Modern Garden Design

To make the most of the often fleeting good weather in the UK, it pays to beautify your garden – creating a space that makes your heart sing every time you step outside.

To inspire you, our Garden Edit series is serving up a bevy of design ideas – and today, we’re shining a light on modern garden design.

From modern garden paving ideas to planting suggestions, you’ll find oodles of inspiration to pull off your own contemporary garden design style.

Let’s dive right in.

Go for neutral colours

Modern design doesn’t shy away from using bold colours – but for modern garden design ideas that stand the test of time, we’d suggest a timeless neutral colour palette. 

Soothing and stylish, neutral hues like white, grey, beige and cream can work wonders in giving your garden design a contemporary and calming finish.

Effortlessly versatile, with neutral tones, you can create the perfect pared-back look in your outside areas to instantly inject a sense of serenity.

Neutrals are also compatible with countless other colours, allowing you to introduce different shades to personalise and layer your modern garden design. These neutral shades could be paired with darker tones such as grey, brown and black for an all-natural vibe – or contrasted against pops of vivid colour through plants, textiles and other materials.

Embrace angles and clean lines

Modern garden ideas typically embrace uniform shapes and angles – quite the opposite of the relaxed, informal approach of country garden design.

The result is a modern garden design that feels sleek, polished and minimalist, using clean, straight lines and smooth surfaces to really enhance the aesthetic. 

There’s more to this process than introducing boxy shapes and angular elements to your design, though. It’s more about playing with proportions and using angles and lines to create different visual effects.

For instance, a modern-style dining set with sharp angular features can effectively define specific areas within the space. Meanwhile, straight-edged flower beds and borders bring structure and interest to vast spaces – physically and visually breaking up areas into neat, manageable zones.

When it comes to modern small gardens, ideas that incorporate lines and angles can be highly effective in making spaces feel bigger. The visual effect of straight border lines running parallel to fences can make the whole area feel longer, while using a few strategically placed horizontal lines will elongate the area.

Go for contemporary flooring

To master contemporary garden design, move away from traditional turf lawns – or at the very least, make sure grass isn’t the dominant flooring choice.

Instead, go ultra-modern using porcelain outdoor tiles as a garden paving idea. Practical, hard-wearing and super stylish, outdoor paving tiles are the ideal flooring choice for modern garden designs.

Equipped to handle the British climate and topped with non-slip properties, contemporary-style porcelain outdoor tiles will instantly transform your garden into a chic and sophisticated outdoor space.

Ideal for swanky al fresco dining areas and outdoor kitchens, as well as pathways, smooth patio tiles deliver a sleek look that’s low-maintenance and long-lasting – giving you stunning outdoor flooring for years to come.

For added texture, outdoor rugs or patterned outdoor tiles could be the way to go if you’d prefer a softer aesthetic for your modern garden design.

Introduce split levels

If you want to make the most of a sloped garden, why not consider introducing split levels? 

This isn’t a modern garden idea for those on a budget, though, as this typically requires a complete redesign – that is, unless the split levels already exist. 

If you’re not put off by a full garden makeover, the introduction of split levels can be a great way to modernise your outdoor spaces.

Firstly, it provides the perfect opportunity to embrace the modern concept of zoning – assigning specific uses to each different level. For instance, you can create separate dining areas nearest the house, with informal seating and relaxation areas below. 

Split levels also allow you to get creative with landscaping materials to project a truly modern vibe. This could take the form of wooden decking and steps with bricked barrier walls for integrated seating and raised planting beds – or soil-retaining walls clad with stone-effect tiles and finished with sleek glass balustrades to deliver a clean and uniform aesthetic.

Add an outdoor kitchen

For barbecue-loving Brits, an outdoor cooking area could be the perfect addition to modernise your garden design. Ideas can be as grand or simple as your taste and budget allow, but we’re talking about more than just adding a rickety table next to your rusted old barbecue!

For modern garden design ideas on a limited budget, dedicating a well-ventilated corner of your patio solely to outdoor cooking could be all that’s needed. Positioning your barbecue in the corner with some worktop-height tables on either side will give you plenty of space for preparing and serving food. You can even integrate some storage baskets below for housing utensils and other cookware so these essentials are close to hand.

For serious outdoor diners with a larger budget, installing a fully equipped kitchen with an outdoor sink, fridge and other home comforts can give you that true sense of modernity with your garden design ideas. Of course, you’ll need to choose practical materials like stone and metal which are weather and rodent-proof.

If you need more inspiration for outdoor cooking spaces, our barbecue area design blog has you covered.

Picture-perfect planting

When it comes to modern garden ideas for planting, we’d recommend a minimalist approach.

With such a restrained design and colour palette, planting needs to be carefully planned to ensure these features enhance the overall design, rather than detracting from it.

Delivering a simple and clean vibe, bamboo can be the perfect accompaniment for modern garden ideas. Used as screens or as a backdrop against a fence, bamboo brings a fresh and clean finish to cool, neutral colour palettes.

For a tropical vibe that introduces beautiful textures, colours and dappled shade, opt for hardy palms like giant fan palms, yuccas and hostas which will provide striking fauna against hard landscaping such as tiles or bricks.

Bring florals into the mix for some welcome colour. Tall species of lilies, dahlias and delphiniums can give vivid bursts of colour set against restrained colour palettes. For ground cover, sedum and wispy grasses will ensure there’s an abundance of texture and tones to bring interest to contemporary gardens.

If you’re a lover of simple yet beautiful outdoor spaces that put relaxation first, modern garden ideas that champion soothing colours and textures could be the way to go. 

To start bringing your modern garden ideas together, check out our collection of stylish and sleek outdoor tiles which can be used for patios, paths and walls.

If you need even more inspiration for giving your home and garden a makeover, keep reading our interior design blog which is bursting with styling tips and ideas, how tos and more.