The New Rules of Outdoor Design — 8 Landscape Designers Define the Non-Negotiables for Outdoor Spaces in 2026

With work about to start on my own outdoor space, I've been deep in a thoroughly enjoyable garden research project for some time. While pulling together ideas, certain themes have emerged that seem to set some spaces apart from the rest. For example: immersive, naturalistic landscapes; sensory elements that foster wellbeing; and layered, pollinator-friendly planting schemes that offer visual interest all year round.

I'm lucky enough to have a garden designer in the family who's an invaluable source of expertise and inspiration. If you're planning a redesign without a professional to guide the process, navigating garden design trends can feel similar to embarking on an interior remodel: it can be hard to know what direction to take and the stakes seem just as high.

"There has been a clear cultural shift in how outdoor space is valued. Gardens are no longer seen as purely decorative or seasonal; they’re extensions of the home," affirms landscape architect Stefano Marinaz. "Clients increasingly want to live outside: to read, entertain, dine, and even work in these spaces. As a result, expectations mirror those of interior environments."

In a bid to dive deeper into the principles currently defining some of the best examples of modern garden design, I sought out an array of experts from across the world for their insider intel. Below are eight new 'rules' that are guaranteed to enhance and elevate your outdoor space.

Rule #1: Soften Seating Areas With Plants

"I think we instinctively want to sit with our backs encircled by something that feels dense, like a lush border of shady planting or a thick yew hedge," says London-based landscape designer Elizabeth Tyler.

"It taps into deep feelings about safety and instantly makes us feel relaxed," she adds. "I prefer to sit in the shade or dappled shade, especially during hot summers, so I like to place seating under trees."

Elizabeth also advocates a range of types and sizes of seating options that catch the sun at different times of day and serve different functions. "These create places for you to stop as you move through the garden," she explains.

Rule #2: Design for Year-Round Interest

When planning a planting scheme for any garden, it's vital to include plants that provide visual interest throughout the colder months of the year. This Suffolk garden by Cambridge-based landscape designer Colm Joseph is a perfect example.

"This walled garden was designed with all seasons in mind, celebrating the beauty of autumn and winter texture and color," explains Colm. "Beech hedging and birch trees provide the main structure, as well as beautiful winter simplicity. The mix of grasses and seed heads of perennials, together with the dwarf pines, adds great textural quality in the winter months."

"The clear stems of the birch trees provide transparency, framing, and filtering views while contributing so much to the garden’s color palette throughout the year."

Rule #3: Opt for Unstructured Hardscaping

When Melbourne practice Eckersley Garden Architecture designed the garden of this coastal home by Clare Cousins Architects, they softened the hardscaping materials by mixing rough-hewn pavers with gravel and introducing creeping ground cover.

"The trick was to marry the levels without making everything look too structured," explains principal designer Myles Broad. "To this end, we used curving corten steel sheets that were rolled on site to form retaining walls and steps."

"Again, to destructure the garden, split-face slate pavers were used for pathways and step treads, while the ground covers were used to soften parts of the stairs. That planting spills under the cantilever of the home, making it float above the garden."

Rule #4: Keep Lighting Low and Flexible

"With garden lighting, I think a subtle approach is best," says garden designer Natasha Nuttall, whose studio is based in North London. "I tend to use small spotlights placed within the planting beds so that they highlight the foliage and provide interesting shadows and atmosphere, rather than actually lighting up the garden space."

Natasha often divides garden lighting into zones so that clients can choose which areas they'd like illuminated at any given time. This also produces less light pollution and is kinder to local wildlife.

"Even lighting that’s positioned along a route through the garden can be placed within planting and angled downwards across the area at low level to avoid bright light being cast around the space," she advises.

Rule #5: Plant with Pollinators in Mind

The richly biodiverse garden that wraps around this timber-clad eco-home is the work of Kent-based garden designer Kristina Clode. "The perennial wildflower meadow offers vibrant seasonal interest and requires minimal maintenance, as well as providing a habitat for wildlife," says Kristina.​

"Stacked log piles discreetly screen compost bays while enhancing habitat value," she adds. "Within the central courtyard, a gravel garden is planted with colorful Mediterranean-style perennials and aromatic herbs, creating a sensory retreat."

It's also worth noting that it's possible (and equally important) to plant for pollinating insects in the colder months. Look to late-season bloomers and winter-hardy plants that will produce nectar and pollen when it's particularly scarce.

Rule #6: Factor Wellbeing Into Your Design

"Most of our clients are looking for a deeper connection to the outdoors and to nature itself," says Californian interior designer Vanessa Alexander, who often collaborates closely with landscape designers on her projects.

"This particular project is my own home, designed in collaboration with Terremoto. We nestled the barrel sauna within native California plantings so it feels immersed in the landscape," she shares. "The result is a calming, restorative retreat and one of our favorite places to unwind at the end of the day."

If your garden budget (like mine) sadly won't stretch to a sauna, then integrate wellness elements in your garden that will soothe the senses, such as trickling water features, rustling grasses, and scented planting. A spot to catch the mood-boosting morning sunlight will also do wonders for your body's circadian rhythms.

Rule #7: Priortize Comfortable Seating

"Comfortable seating encourages people to spend longer periods outdoors, engaging more directly with planting, light, and seasonal change," says landscape designer Stefano Marinaz, who has studios both in the UK and the Netherlands.

"In urban contexts especially, where space is limited, every square meter has to work harder, so comfort becomes an essential rather than a luxury," says Stefano, who selected generous upholstered designs in strong blues for this town garden, creating a vivid contrast that enhances the planting.

"Upholstered outdoor furniture needs to perform on several levels — practical, ergonomic, and aesthetic — so the selection process needs to be a balance of these factors," he adds.

Rule #8: Make Small Gardens Immersive

"A sense of immersion is really important in small garden design," says Buckinghamshire-based landscape designer Tabitha Rigden, who introduced a subtle level change in this compact courtyard to draw people through the space.

"Planting pockets woven into the gravel create paths that meander through vegetation, while layered perennial planting, rustling ornamental grasses, and sculptural multi-stem trees help blur the boundaries and create a richer sensory experience," she adds.

Tabitha introduced a freestanding rebar steel structure for vertical planting, allowing climbers to cast shifting shadows. "Integrated seating is positioned at different points throughout the garden, including a bench nestled amongst the planting, encouraging the space to be experienced from multiple perspectives," she explains.

If you're in search of more expert-approved ideas to elevate your outdoor space, check out these hardscaping trends, which are beloved by landscape designers and architects alike.

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