House and garden in Israel – how to create a connection between them
Here are some ideas.
All of the photos are from projects designed by my office.
1. Think about a good connection between the inside of the house and the garden – this is important for both!
A garden is always better and more useful if it is open to the main living area.
2. Two windows looking out to the garden in different directions are always better than one.
3. Using the same floor inside and outside will connect them and enlarge both.
In this project we used old -fashioned concrete tiles for the house and garden. We used old tiles which we found in the garden to guard the renovated house against the evil eye…..
4. Treat at least part of the garden as you would treat a room inside the house – a room with a floor, ceiling, walls, furniture.
This is especially true for gardens in countries like Israel, where gardens can be used almost all the time
5. Even narrow side paths and awkward corners can become worthwhile outdoor spaces if you treat them well!
Add benches, plants, beautiful floors and furniture and make them part of your home design.
With the help of beautiful furniture and a large flowerpot, we created a small outdoor “living room” between different levels of the garden:
6. Use flowerpots, sculptures, decorations, lights, in all different heights and shapes and colors, as you would inside – and more!
use beautiful objects, create beautiful compositions.
7. Invest in good outdoor furniture!
8. Insist on a strong connection between the kitchen and your outdoor space.
Our social life is always connected with food. Your garden will be in better use if you can eat in it with ease.
9. Summers in Israel can be terribly warm. Invest in making your garden attractive in the hot and humid summer weather.
Create areas with shade.Use fans.
(more about this garden – in this article)
10. Lighting is all-important!
11. Your home and your garden should function as a unit: let your garden emphasize the architectural elements of your home.
In this project, you can see plants surrounding a window….
the outdoor space is designed to correspond with the different floor levels of the house.
12. In a large garden, create a living space far away from the house.
This makes it possible to enjoy looking at your house from a distance, like in this project: a small path leads away from the house….
…..to a peaceful area under an olive tree, from which you can look at the house:
(to learn more about this project – look here )
13. Most importantly: when it comes to gardens, more is more! There is almost no such thing as “too much”:
