Plan your garden - Tips from a garden designer

With summer around the corner, many people want to fix up their garden. We have spoken with Jeanette Skålander, garden architect and garden designer at Njuta Trädgårdsdesign. She gave her tips on how to think about garden design, but also which stone materials and stone slabs are most in demand among her customers.

" With natural stone, the floor becomes like a piece of jewelry and a natural stone surface can just lie there and be beautiful, it doesn't need to be decorated as much as a wooden deck might need to be done. "

Creating a pleasant, green oasis with a lovely patio in the garden is high on many people's wish lists. There are a lot of decisions that need to be made when remodeling or fixing up your garden. What should you really think about and how should you behave? Jeanette emphasizes the importance of trying to see the big picture and visualize the target picture before starting your project. It is easy to only see how costly it can be, therefore it is important to have a long-term plan and target image that the budget can handle and at the same time see your project as an investment.

By choosing good materials that are both durable and easy to maintain, you can increase the value of the house. Jeanette advises dividing the project so that it is fun throughout the work and in this way you also reduce the risk of getting tunnel vision and getting tired towards the end. Changing the garden is not a quick fix, it takes time and often involves a lot of work. If you instead want a quick change, you can always replace the furniture or put new plants, decorative stones and flowers to bring in some color and new scents.

Read about how to plant and about our planting products in our big soil guide !

Wall cladding Rustic Gray in the popular format 600x300mm

As I said, thinking about the whole is important when designing your garden and patio. Walls are an important part as they frame the patio and create a cozy and snug feeling. However, remember to vary the length and height of the walls, so you don't feel trapped. You can also use trellises with climbing greenery to create a living feeling. Jeanette tells us that she often designs half-high walls that can be used for a bar counter, for example, and all of a sudden you have more social space, which is very much appreciated .

Mica slate in an irregular format gives life and creates an eye-catcher.

The next step is to choose outdoor flooring, and then natural stone is an excellent option because it is incredibly beautiful, but also because it is durable and easy to maintain.

" Of Jeanette's customers, nine out of ten choose natural stone for their garden, and this is probably due to the fact that natural stone has a completely different lifespan than, for example, concrete stone."

By playing with different patterns and shades, you create a living floor, but also breaking up the surfaces with different natural materials gives a great effect. Choose a practical and functional floor for the driveway, and then, for example, use slate tiles in the garden. This gives the feeling that you are stepping into a completely different environment and at the same time you get the feeling that "now the garden begins".

Beautiful slate from Jämtland. Offerdals slate is one of our absolute finest slates.

Creating a common thread in the garden also makes a big difference and Jeanette advises that e.g. laying slate tiles on the patio and then tying it together by laying slate tiles as a capstone on a wall. It also gives a Mediterranean feel and why not place terracotta pots to extend the feeling. The roof is also an important part to create a cozy environment and it can be a pergola, glass roof, or trees with a wider crown to extend the feeling of greenery.

So what is the current trend when it comes to choosing stone for the garden and patio? According to Jeanette, granite slabs are very popular, precisely because they give a stylish impression. Irregular slate is also in demand and gives a completely different character to the straight stone slabs. This is something we at Stenbolaget can really underline, as we also see a greatly increased demand for natural stone in particular, where slate and granite are really in the spotlight.

Granite slab Gray laid like simple stepping stones in the grass. A stylish and practical solution.

Light natural stone is also something that is in high demand by private individuals, where mica slate is also a strong card. Jeanette advises to wet the stone before a choice is made, then a different shade appears and considering that there are many wet days in our country, it can be a good idea. Most newly built houses have white or gray color scales and sometimes even black and if you add tiles that are too dark and which also get a darker shade when wet, it can feel too heavy and gloomy. Then it is better to choose the one that is a little too bright at first glance. Jeanette also notices that pool curbs in natural stone have become increasingly sought after and that the wooden decking that we see around many pools is disappearing more and more.

A garden with many different types of natural stone in harmony and interaction.

Natural stone also holds up better and is easier to care for than wooden planks, which both fade and wear more quickly. Of Jeanette's customers, nine out of ten choose natural stone for their garden, and this is probably because natural stone has a completely different lifespan than, for example, concrete stone, which does not stay as nice for as long. But also because it is incredibly beautiful, of course. With natural stone, the floor becomes like a piece of jewelry and a natural stone surface can just lie there and be beautiful, it doesn't need to be decorated as much as a wooden deck might need to be done.

Visit www.njutatradgardsdesign.se for more inspiration!