Arbor Design

The Importance of Arbor Design

It is impossible to stress too much the importance of good design when building an arbor. Arbor design truly makes the difference between something that looks sloppy, as though it was thrown carelessly together (often it was!) and something chic and elegant, a true work of art in the garden. Arbor design must take into account all the existing structures and of course the garden around it; decide ahead of time whether plants will be allowed to grow up next to it and even over it (best in a casual, comfortable, English-cottage style garden) or whether they will keep their distance, arranged in such a way that they showcase and set off the arbor, but don't actually touch it (best for a formal or Oriental design) and plan your arbor design accordingly.

Of course keep in mind your own tastes when designing an arbor! Hopefully your garden matches your tastes, but if not, it may be necessary to rework your garden a little bit so that the arbor design matches your tastes, and the garden around it matches your arbor. It's easiest by far if you can tweak your arbor design to match your garden, but not always possible. And above all, you must have an arbor that you feel you can live with.

If you're thinking about adding an arbor in order to make your house more saleable, then personal preference becomes less important (the next person may hate it, anyway) and matching your garden (unless you want to rework the entire thing--not recommended) becomes essential. Either way, take time to examine your garden and get a feel for it. How would you describe it? Loose and unstructured? Simple and tidy? Formal and elegant? Whether you're matching the arbor to the garden (in the case of real-estate management) or the garden to the arbor (in the case of home improvements) it's important to know what you're matching, and with what. Maybe your garden is formal, with straight lines or strong curves, but you'd like something a bit more elaborate and Victorian, such as wrought iron, for your arbor. Both have a common element (elegance), and it is possible to work them together without having to change either. This is why good arbor design is so important. You can't reach your goal unless you first know what it is.