Let us face it: Although we love our neighbors, we all sometimes want to step out without needing to strike up a dialogue. Although fences and brick walls may do the trick, adding an extra divider, screen or plant barrier may block your neighbor’s two-story view for good.
To make your secret escape, freestanding privacy screens, wood slat partitions and partly enclosed pergolas are effective (and pleasant to look at). Plants are also a excellent selection. Landscape architect Bruce Clodfelter often uses holly, evergreen and Ligustrum for a more natural partition, while backyard designer Stephanie Bartron frequently belongs with a bamboo or hedge barrier. For something a bit more decorative, both architects advocate a trellis or arbor; Bartron frequently uses climbing vines, espalier shrubs and grapevines for extra cover, while Clodfelter added Confederate Jasmine, Baltic Ivy and kiwifruit to his own private patio.
Regardless of your substances, both Bartron and Clodfelter agree that placement is essential. “Your first instinct is to create a challenging wall right on your property, but sometimes that is not the best area for this,” Clodfelter says. “It is far better to put those screening devices closer to your home; it’s counterintuitive, but it makes your garden appear bigger.”
As you consider how best to fix your own backyard privacy problem, consider using one (or several) of these creative solutions.
TERRABELLA, inc..
Boost some artistic decorative panels. Privacy displays do not need to be dull. These custom pieces block the neighbor’s perspective and behave as an interesting outdoor focal point.
Lynn Gaffney Architect, PLLC
Consider the view from over. If you reside in the city, an arched trellis like this one is going to make certain that no neighbors — not those towering over you — can see what is happening.
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Create seclusion with a wood slat wall. Having a partition inserted to an already-there concrete walls, this small deck currently offers lots of privacy.
Keep it personal with curtains. To get a more secluded setting, add outside curtains to your pergola. They are simple to move if not in use and can help add to your outside decor.
Create a Casbah on the Patio
Avalon Interiors
Screen in your spa. Ensure your spa is not outside in the open by installing these corrugated acrylic panels. You may even filter light from behind for a romantic backdrop shine.
13 New Ways to Make a Splash With a Hot Tub
SB Garden Design
Go vertical with your own flowers. To block the perspective of two-story neighbors, landscape architect Bartron introduced this tall custom made metal trellis on the garage wall. She included colorful Orange Clock Vine for extra privacy.
Consider an outside fireplace. Flanked by arborvitae trees, a tall fireplace effectively hides this enjoyable entertainment space from sight.
EAC Designs
Decorate your area with a living wall. Give a tall fencing new meaning by creating your very own vertical backyard. It adds privacy, and does it with style.
11 Inspiring Vertical Gardens
Bruce Clodfelter and Associates
Don’t block off your entire view. Landscape architectClodfelter is all about privacy, but he likes to open up small windows between his house and his neighbors’ for its occasional “borrowed perspective” In his own backyard, he utilized jasmine and ivy to make a partial partition but left the middle of the trellis wide open.
Incorporated
Create a potted plant border. For an inexpensive flat solution, consider incorporating medium-height potted plants across the balcony rail.
More manners with container gardens
Mark Brand Architecture
Stray from the normal. In case you have to get a fence or wall, then consider going with a exceptional material. This bamboo adds interest to a retaining wall and helps improve the lawn’s Asian feel.
MB Design & Build
Boost those planters. Insert more perpendicular cover (and semi-gloss colour) by procuring planters on top of a minimal concrete or brick wall.
Thomas Fine, CGR, GMB & CGP
Invest into a covered patio. Though it may be more of a splurge, a pergola like that one, paired with a perfectly positioned fireplace, handily blocks neighbors from visiting your dinner celebration.