What Trends will Influence Garden Design and Landscape Architecture in 2013?

[Thomas Rainer]

The 2013 Garden Design Trends report is out at Grounded Design:  http://bit.ly/UYTIOS

[Trace One]

I know the topic is extremely speculative, Thomas, but a return to Romanticism does not seem to me to be the trend. I think we are having a rebellion against too many things, combined with a LOT of government projects on the horizon, so I personally see more ‘brutalism’ as it is called, or on  a smaller scale, modernism.

 

That opinion and five bucks will get ya a cup of coffee at starbucks, the real trend we are in the middle of – that and a future of selling to China, after decades of buying from China. Perhaps the Chinese new riche will be inclinded to be romantic. But I see that style as too fussy for now – clean and simple and reclclable and sustainable, is how AI would call it.

[Anonymous]

I see more shotcrete boulders, fake brick and fake chopped stone. Oh yeah more style options on PVC fencing. Oh how exciting! [Sarcasm]

[Trace One]

does this come to you in your dreams, Craig? I personally have nightmares about grading not working properly. Steven King has nothing on these fantasies about possible futures…

:  )

[Anonymous]

–Golden–

[Anonymous]

More like a Long Island reality. Faux stone is everywhere. I refuse to use it unless I’m forced to do so. But, I’ll walk away from a job that a client insists on using fake Disneyland boulders.  

 

I’m with you Trace, I spend more time designing, worrying and refining grading and drainage plans. We won’t even talk about ADA standards.

[Trace One]

I don’t think that is the point, henry, of thinking about ‘trends’. I geuss one could question whether there are ‘trends’ but there certainly used to be – the
Bauhouse, the Impressionists, were all part of a group consciousness that reflected not only the history of thought on a particular topic, but the current state of the thinking process. Cubism and on down to Jackson Pollack are all part of a thought process that painters were having, about the nature of reality, the nature of paint, light, etc.

I think we are all very wise now, with access to way more information than we can process, so human thought seems to not be trendy, but more scattered, and multidirectional.

On the other hand, we may be too close to see the trend. I think the science of genetics is going to influence all of us a lot, personally, and I wish that as a people we could have the state of the natural world influence us more. If we could have that society that did not depend on growth, on purchasing things….

So your comment, Henry, IMHO, does not address the question. Of course you won’t design by ‘trends’. But as a collective mass of human ants, busy busy busy, we may be, and historically certainly have, created ‘trends.’

[Anonymous]

Sorry Trace but lot’s of designers “design” by trend. I did it when I was fresh out of school. I did a lot of concentric circle, trapezoidal forms and juxtaposing anything to everything else just because I thought I had to.

 

Young landscape designers try your best to stay away from design trends if you can. It doesn’t take long before they just look silly. Leave that to the fashion designers. Interior Designers and Architects are already redoing kitchens with granite counter tops and stainless steel appliances.

 

My gosh if I see another negative edge pool I’ll scream. It was cool the first or second time I saw it, but now it’s like a prerequisite.

[Trace One]

You two, Henry and craig, contradicted each other – one says people design by trends, the other (Henry) says we don’t design by trends.

I am looking at the question more from a historical perspective. I think the use of granite and infinite edge pools falls below the category of trend, I would call it more a fad. I think the question makes me think of serious designers and what is happening in the field, reflecting the general course of current thought.

I can’t imagine throwing something into a landscape because it is ‘trendy’ ..(black heuchera and  roses, anyone?). but if I decide from my current understanding of our world, that all the plants I plant will not be irrigated, and 2500 landscrapers make the same decision, we can look back on this and define it as a trend. All the impressionists were exploring our scientific understanding of light. It was a trend. We moved, in the art world,from impressionists,  to exploring the surface of the canvas and it’s relationship to reality. Now we are into 3-d experience in movies, we feel that reflects reality better (altho I personally agree with New Yorker writer who feed HD on TV is a reason to NOT watch movies on TV  – that graphic depiction is totally inhuman, it is for owls finding voles in a huge field – ….)

anyway..

The question as I interpret it, is one of art history. Olmsted designed his landscapes based on our understanding, as a society, of where people and nature fit together – he was not alone in his perspective.

That is something I have always found lacking in Corner’s designs –  there is  no overarching social thought going on – it is just little space decision after little space decision – others (residents, planners..) have already done the social thought for Corner – he is leading by following..

sorry to drone ON!!

No dog in this hunt,and no intention to hurt any feelings. Just abstract thought, my favorite thing – NO CONSEQUENCES!

( –  – )

[Roland Beinert]

I think clients tend to be influenced by trends, even if the designer they hire is not, right?. What can you do then? Obviously, you can’t argue with them.

[Jason T. Radice]

Trend for Garden Design: What’s on sale and what does the nursury have to move?

 

Trend for Landscape Architects: No longer be a Landscape Architect.

[Anonymous]

No, I think both of us are saying to avoid running with the latest design trend and I confessed that I was guilty of doing it as an inexperienced designer.

 

Fad, trend or movement this is all good food for thought…no hurt feelings here.

[Anonymous]

You can step aside and let some other “sell-out” LA put the mandatory boulder waterfall in the middle of their flat front yard.

 

No I don’t argue with my clients, but I will definitely forcefully let them know when their about to do something stupid. If a client goes against my recommendations enough, I will discontinue my services to them. Bad economy or not we have to remain professionals.   

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[Alan Ray, RLA]

Henry, you are correct once again….

It’s like you’re trending….

 

[anthony c jefferies]

Common knowledge has it that trends are curved and the aim is to be ahead of that curve, it is an odd image with no beginning and no end. Another possibility is that a ‘trend setter’ is king but if there is always a trend, this king will soon be unseated when someone comes along to ‘buck the trend’.

It would be nice (naive?) to think that the next trend would be for originality or authenticity or is that an oxymoron?

[Author]

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