Before: Contemporary backyard garden design — festoon lights concrete planters, gravel path
After: Contemporary backyard garden design — festoon lights concrete planters, gravel path
Before
After

Before photo by Raoul Croes on Unsplash. Garden design generated with AI Garden Design.

Contemporary Backyard with Festoon Lights, Concrete Planters & Gravel Path

ContemporaryBackyardfestoon lights concrete plantersgravel path2026-05-07
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Contemporary compact backyard featuring a lime-green sling chair on manicured lawn, festoon string lights overhead, dark grey concrete planters with lavender and ornamental grasses, gravel border, glowing path lights, and a hedge wall backdrop.

This is one of 9 contemporary garden designs in the AI Garden Design library and one of 9 backyard designs. Browse the full gallery or jump straight to more contemporary designs.

What defines a contemporary garden

Contemporary gardens borrow from current architectural trends, mixed materials, bold geometry, and statement lighting, while keeping the planting loose and naturalistic. The result feels designed but never sterile.

Palette

warm grey, black, natural wood, deep green, rust accent

Materials

concrete, corten steel, timber decking, gravel, glass

How to recreate this contemporary backyard

Mix two or three hardscape materials with intent, concrete with timber decking, gravel with steel edging, a single feature wall in a contrasting finish. Plant in soft drifts of grasses and perennials rather than clipped shapes, so the architecture stays the star. Add one sculptural element: a steel arbour, a stone bench, or a fire bowl on a plinth.

Designing a backyard

Backyards are the most flexible canvas in residential garden design. Privacy on multiple sides means you can run the layout however the family actually uses the space, kids' lawn at one end, dining area in the middle, planted retreat at the back.

Zone the space before you plant. Decide where the kitchen, dining, lounge, and play areas sit, then design the planting around those edges. Privacy fencing, screening trees, and overhead structures (pergola, sail shade) define the rooms. Drainage matters most here, a slight grade away from the house and a French drain along the fence line saves a lot of grief later.

Plants that work in contemporary gardens

A reliable starting palette for this style — full growing guides on each.

Ornamental Grasses — recommended for contemporary gardens

Ornamental Grasses

Various genera

Movement, texture, and year-round interest. Ornamental grasses add a naturalistic, modern element to any garden with minimal care required.

Japanese Maple — recommended for contemporary gardens

Japanese Maple

Acer palmatum

The most elegant small tree for any garden. Japanese maples offer stunning leaf shapes, spectacular fall color, and graceful architectural form.

Boxwood — recommended for contemporary gardens

Boxwood

Buxus

The foundation of formal garden design. Boxwood provides year-round evergreen structure, takes shaping beautifully, and defines spaces with elegant precision.

Succulents — recommended for contemporary gardens

Succulents

Various genera

Living sculptures for modern gardens. Succulents store water in fleshy leaves, creating geometric, colorful arrangements that thrive on neglect.

Lavender — recommended for contemporary gardens

Lavender

Lavandula

The ultimate garden multitasker: fragrant flowers, silvery foliage, drought tolerance, and pollinator appeal. Lavender thrives in poor soil and full sun.

Want this style for your garden?

Upload a photo of your backyard and get a photorealistic contemporary redesign in under two minutes.

Redesign My Garden

Frequently asked questions

How much does a contemporary backyard like this cost?

Real-world contemporary backyard builds vary enormously by region and finish level — budget jobs land around $5,000 to $15,000, mid-range builds with quality hardscape and mature plants sit between $20,000 and $50,000, and full luxury builds with premium materials, lighting, and water features can exceed $100,000. The AI Garden Design redesign itself takes minutes and costs nothing to preview before you commit to a build.

Can I recreate this contemporary design in my own backyard?

Yes. Upload a photo of your current backyard and pick the Contemporary style, or use this exact image as a style reference. The AI keeps the structural elements of your space — house, fence, hardscape — and reimagines the planting, furniture, and finishes in the chosen style. You get a photorealistic redesign in under two minutes that you can share with a landscape contractor.

What plants work best in a contemporary garden?

Contemporary gardens lean on a tight, repeated plant palette. The plants suggested on this page — paired with the design tips above — are the reliable starting set. Choose three to five and repeat them in mass rather than mixing many varieties; this is what separates a designed contemporary garden from a busy collector's plot.

More contemporary garden designs

Other gardens in the contemporary style — different spaces, same look.

Contemporary compact brick suburban backyard featuring a brick two-story house with wood pergola, dark grey concrete planters with ornamental grasses and agave, festoon string lights, modern light wood and metal bench, dark grey paver patio, glowing path lights, and a gravel border.

Contemporary Brick Family Backyard with Concrete Planters, Festoon & Paver Patio

Contemporary compact red tile balcony featuring iron railing, dark grey concrete planters with ornamental grasses and agave, festoon string lights, modern light wood and metal bench with cushions, glowing path lights, and a classic apartment city view.

Contemporary Red Tile Balcony with Concrete Planters, Festoon & Modern Bench

Contemporary compact city balcony featuring dark grey concrete planters with ornamental grasses and agave, festoon string lights, modern light wood bench with cushions, slate stepping tiles, glowing path lights, and a glass railing with city skyline view.

Contemporary City Balcony with Concrete Planters, Festoon Lights & Modern Bench

Contemporary white stone traditional backyard featuring a white siding two-story house with stone trim, dark grey concrete planters with ornamental grasses, festoon string lights, modern light wood and metal bench, slate paver path, gravel border, and glowing path lights.

Contemporary White Stone Traditional Backyard with Concrete Planters, Festoon & Modern Bench

Contemporary wooded craftsman backyard featuring a tan two-story craftsman house, dark grey concrete planters with ornamental grasses and agave, festoon string lights, modern light wood and metal bench, slate paver path, gravel border, and glowing path lights.

Contemporary Wooded Craftsman Backyard with Concrete Planters, Festoon Lights & Modern Bench

Contemporary compact backyard featuring a beige two-story house, dark grey concrete planters with ornamental grasses and agave, festoon string lights, modern light wood and metal bench, slate path, gravel border, and glowing path lights.

Contemporary Tan Two-Story Backyard with Concrete Planters, Festoon Lights & Modern Bench

Contemporary suburban front yard featuring a single-story house, dark grey concrete planters with ornamental grasses and agave, festoon string lights, modern wood and metal bench, slate path, gravel border, and glowing path lights.

Contemporary Suburban Ranch Front Yard with Festoon Lights, Concrete Planters & Modern Bench

Contemporary compact backyard featuring a small red barn cottage, dark grey concrete raised planters with ornamental grasses, light wood and metal bench with cushions, polished metal sphere garden art, slate stepping stones, and glowing path lights.

Contemporary Red Barn Cottage Backyard with Grasses, Metal Sphere Art & Slate Path

More backyard designs

Backyard designs in different styles — same kind of space, different mood.

Rustic red barn cottage backyard featuring rustic style with weathered wood furniture, raw timber accents, pampas grass, native ornamental grasses, hammock, terracotta pots, festoon string lights, natural fiber rugs, and warm earthy tones.

Rustic Backyard with Pampas Grass, Weathered Wood & String Lights

Bohemian red barn cottage backyard featuring bohemian style with rattan ceiling fan or pendant, macrame wall hanging, mixed pattern pillows, layered area rugs, hanging plants, terracotta vase accents, and natural wood furniture.

Bohemian Backyard with Rattan, Macrame & Layered Textiles

Farmhouse red barn cottage backyard featuring farmhouse style with white picket fence, raised wood vegetable beds with kale, tomatoes and herbs, cottage flowers like daisies and lavender, weathered wood bench, terracotta pots, and chicken wire trellis.

Farmhouse Backyard with Picket Fence, Vegetable Beds & Cottage Flowers

Zen red barn cottage backyard featuring zen meditation style with concentric raked sand circles, carefully placed stone arrangement, moss patches, low wood meditation bench, single bonsai topiary, stone water bowl, and minimal calming composition.

Zen Backyard with Raked Sand, Stones & Moss Meditation

Minimalist red barn cottage backyard featuring minimalist style with extremely clean lines, single tall potted ornamental plant, neutral palette of grey concrete and light wood, single piece of designer furniture, generous empty space, and uncluttered surfaces.

Minimalist Backyard with Clean Lines, Single Plant & Neutral Palette

Rustic tan two-story backyard featuring rustic style with weathered wood furniture, raw timber accents, pampas grass, native ornamental grasses, hammock, terracotta pots, festoon string lights, natural fiber rugs, and warm earthy tones.

Rustic Backyard with Pampas Grass, Weathered Wood & String Lights

Bohemian tan two-story backyard featuring bohemian style with rattan ceiling fan or pendant, macrame wall hanging, mixed pattern pillows, layered area rugs, hanging plants, terracotta vase accents, and natural wood furniture.

Bohemian Backyard with Rattan, Macrame & Layered Textiles

Farmhouse tan two-story backyard featuring farmhouse style with white picket fence, raised wood vegetable beds with kale, tomatoes and herbs, cottage flowers like daisies and lavender, weathered wood bench, terracotta pots, and chicken wire trellis.

Farmhouse Backyard with Picket Fence, Vegetable Beds & Cottage Flowers

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