Postwar midcentury modern homes were designed to blend indoor and outdoor living. Homeowners could view their gardens through floor-to-ceiling windows and easily interact with the outdoor environments through sliding glass doors and patios level with interior floors. Landscaping for these homes was—and remains—clean and uncomplicated, with an emphasis on hardscape and the pleasures of outdoor living. Check out these midcentury modern inspired landscaping ideas that can work in a variety of modern settings.
01 Mix in Asian Influences
Midcentury modern homes in California were often designed for the Mediterranean climate. Atriums were built at the entrance or in the center of the home. This Orange County atrium from Lee Ann Marienthal Gardens blends midcentury and Asian design using boulders, a pond waterfall, a flagstone patio, and shade-tolerant plants like Japanese maples.
02 Keep It Small
Northwest Native Landscapes used a combination of hardscape, sharp angles, and plants with textural details for a small postwar home in Portland, OR.
03 Add Sustainable Plants
\The owners of an Eichler home in Northern California redesigned their landscape to incorporate sustainable features and add native and drought-tolerant plants. Designed by one of the owners of Building Lab and his landscape designer wife, the landscape features a sloping front yard that visually connects it with the surrounding hills.
04 Oakland Eichler
Beckner Contracting restored this Eichler home in Northern California's Oakland Hills, enhancing the home's trademark carport and entry atrium with wall-hugging planters filled with agapanthus and delicate shoots of bamboo against the entry wall.
05 Incorporate Concrete Pavers
Moss Yaw Design Studio revamped a Laguna Niguel, CA home designed by Southern California architect George Bissell with concrete pavers, a low concrete wall, and planting beds with evenly spaced drought-tolerant plants.
06 Add Geometric Lines
This Palm Springs, CA, backyard from Michelle Boudreau Design features desert-friendly landscaping and geometric concrete and gravel hardscaping that complements the updated midcentury modern style of the home.
07 Make It Organic
Midcentury modern landscaping often prioritizes an organic look and feel that complements the clean lines of the architecture, like this backyard pool patio from Joshua Smith Inc.
08 Light the Palm Trees
Borden Landscape added curb appeal to this Modernist-inspired Sarasota, FL home with hardscape; Floridian palm trees; and lush, coastal foliage that is lit up after dark to create a warm and welcoming feel.
09 Let It Grow
Boston-based Flavin Architects updated a home by architect Robert Coolidge—a contemporary of the famous Modernist Walter Gropius. Viewed from the back, the home features a two-level yard, each with a private walled patio that offers intimacy and outdoor living surrounded by plenty of lush greenery with a lived-in look.
10 Draw a Line
A modern home in Portland, OR, built by Don Tankersley & Co. and designed by Situ Architecture, emphasizes natural materials and a linear design. Planting design, by Michael Schultz Landscape Design, is clean and Asian-influenced, with bonsais in wide, low pots. Accent illumination is by Oregon Outdoor Lighting.
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