Creating a Sense of Privacy

After almost two decades of helping people with their personal homes and outdoor spaces, one thing has come up time and time again…Privacy.
Unless you live in a very rural area, chances are you have neighbors who live close by (sometimes too close for comfort) and share a side of your property line.

Time and time again, I will come out for an initial assessment and find that one of the top clients’ needs is privacy, usually addressed with a fence or vegetation. They will express the need to feel a separation of space, whether visually, physically, or both. That need is totally understandable; no one wants to live in a fishbowl or feel like anyone could walk right in at any time.

The challenge is this: whatever we box out, we box in, meaning that if we build a wall, fence, or grow a dense hedge around the entire property, we might create more problems than we solve in the long run. While there are situations where a complete, opaque boundary around a site is necessary (for example, with dogs and toddlers), we have found that most people don’t want to be completely cut off from what is happening outside their home. That connection to the larger view, the community neighborhood, or even the street, can be a meaningful part of why they choose to live there in the first place.

Most of the time, what people need is a SENSE of privacy, meaning the ability to have meaningful borders and clear separation of space, both physically and visually, so that we can relax and go about our business. Unless we are celebrities trying to avoid the paparazzi, most of us don’t need a Hollywood hedge.

So how do we solve this dilemma? What are ways to create privacy without imprisoning us in our own landscape?

Here are at least 3 ways to begin solving this design issue.

1) Height: Most of the time, when we need a boundary, it can be 36”-48”; this is the sweet spot. It can be a fence, a wall, or even a hedge, but visually, 3-4’ gives us a sense of separation without a complete visual block. It's enough to block the view of the road from the front door, but still enough to see who just pulled in. It's tall enough to feel secure but not so large as to feel like a security measure.

2) Transparency: Most fences are built with the pickets pushed right up next to each other to create a 100% visual block, but what happens if we introduce a 2-3” gap? Whether horizontal or vertical, this allows light and color to pass through in ways they couldn’t before. Same with planting: do we need a solid hedge, or can this be more of a mix of shrubs and tall grasses to play with and break up what would otherwise be a rigid edge? Adding some transparency loosens a border without compromising its integrity and function.

3) Layering: Too often, we think I need a fence or some planting, but not both. But when we combine these two, we get great results. For example, maybe there is a need for a gate. The gate looks a little odd, so some fencing is added to anchor it in the space, but after running the fence the entire length of the border, the cost is starting to eat into the budget for other things. Instead, a good solution would be to have the gate and perhaps a few sections of fencing on either side, but begin to lay in front of and/or behind some planting. Once the fence ends, the planting can continue the work of separation at a fraction of the cost while still feeling visually appealing.

While each site and client is unique, these are some great ways to begin defining an outdoor space without disconnecting ourselves from the landscape beyond.

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Process - Act One: Beginning

What is Design? What makes a good designer? What are the things that he/she does that differentiates them from the rest? These are questions I have asked myself many times. While I don’t claim to have complete and definite answers, the one word that comes up, again and again, is process. Being a creative person is great, I can still remember being very young sitting down, taking a box of crayons and drawing for the first time. The only limitations were the materials themselves. My mind was untethered to any thoughts of outcome, comparison or even procedure, it was free and spontaneous. What does a child care about those things anyhow? The beginner's mind was wide open to any and all possibilities. 

Fast forward to adult life, I am a licensed Landscape Architect. My creativity and ingenuity are a large part of my livelihood. Time is of the essence and so is the budget. It is not enough for me to just draw or is it? When I first began the practice of learning to design I was amazed at how freely my teachers, employers, and mentors would draw. The so-called napkin sketch, quick, rough and even ugly was where it would begin. Downloaded in real-time right before my eyes an idea, a detail, a thought. What seemed like a random act was actually rehearsed and well-practiced, this was the beginning of their process.

If showing up is half the battle then this was it. I had been given the key that unlocked the door and inside was a cornucopia of ever-changing furniture. From CAD to 3d modeling software to Photoshop there is an endless array of tools at my disposal. Ultimately though it is that first idea and gesture that begins it all. In the words of one of my beloved teachers- “no software will ever teach you how to think”.  

Designers think with their hands. No idea is so great that it can’t at least begin on a piece of trace paper. The true value of that thought will be weighed in time through a myriad of checks and balances (more on that later) but for now, no one can read my mind. The beginning is all that is required. A few small scribbles on a page like a kid with a box of crayons.