Yardzen’s 2022 Outdoor Design Forecast

The pandemic and climate change have forever changed the way we live at home. Here’s what we expect to see in outdoor design in 2022.

Yardzen’s 2022 Outdoor Design Forecast is a look forward at what we expect to see in outdoor spaces in the new year. We compiled this report using data collected from over 25,000 prospective and Yardzen clients, as well as the opinions of Yardzen landscape and exterior designers. At the core of this report is a commitment to creating sustainable outdoor spaces, an appreciation for the beauty of well-designed exteriors, and our firmly held belief that life is best lived outside.

Open-Air Living

COVID transformed homeowners’ relationship to their outdoor spaces permanently. Here’s what it will look like in 2022.

Over the last two years, outdoor space has taken on new meaning. While most of us hunkered down at home, our yards became the only green space and fresh air we could access: space to play, make noise, work uninterrupted, exercise, and talk with friends and neighbors from afar. And, as restrictions lift, we don’t see any going back.

Yardzen has grown 500% since March 2021, indicating that even as the pandemic transforms, the desire for functional outdoor space is on the rise. Homeowners throughout the country understand that open-air areas, in all their forms, are crucial for wellbeing. We predict even more desire for open-air living in 2022.

Designing for Drought

Drought will be a reality in 2022, and not just for the West. Here’s how it will change outdoor design.

States throughout the country experienced unprecedented drought in 2021. Even parts of the Southeast and the Midwest, historically wet regions, imposed water restrictions to combat increasingly dry conditions. And, in the West, “extreme drought” reigns throughout with local regulations and fines imposed in many municipalities, with NOAA forecasting drought to persist in much of the Western US through 2022 and beyond.

One of the easiest ways for homeowners to decrease water consumption at home is by mitigating usage in their yards. In regions where drought is a concern, Yardzen’s design team always opts for climate-adapted plants, which have grown to thrive in local conditions, permeable hardscaping, like gravel and mulch, which helps with ground-water storage, and lawn alternatives.

Drought-tolerant plants are increasingly a top priority for Yardzen clients. 85% of clients indicate that they want low-water plants in their yards.

Beauty in Imperfection: Japandi Yards

Japandi will be the one of the hottest outdoor style trends of 2022.

We’ve seen an increase in desire for Japandi yards, a fusion of Scandinavian style, and the Japanese term “wabi-sabi,” which roughly translates to “there’s beauty in imperfection.” Japandi yards break free from the neat lines of traditional landscaping and embrace the organic form.

Japandi yards make beautiful use of texture and height, combining tall, billowy grasses with creeping ground covers and freely formed shrubs. Hardscaping selections often include warm woods and loose gravel and follow the shapes and curves of the terrain. And, as the backdrop, a home’s exterior walls and fences: soft charcoal, blues, and neutrals, which tie the whole space together.

The warm minimalism of Japandi yards makes them a great option for clients seeking a low-maintenance space. Embracing the natural form of plants and terrain encourages homeowners to embrace the beauty in their yard’s imperfections. However, Japandi doesn’t mean that the space lacks design–working with Yardzen’s design team will ensure that the yard flows and that you select plants that will thrive with little intervention. We predict Japandi will be one of the hottest outdoor style trends of 2022.

Bring in the Professionals

Do it once, do it right. DIY will continue to shrink in 2022 as people come to favor hiring pros for outdoor renovation projects.

One overwhelming refrain we heard in 2021: “We tried to do it ourselves, but we realized we needed help.” Expanding livable square footage through outdoor remodels was a top pandemic project, and it worked out well for some; but for many, they found themselves with a pile of unused, expensive lumber, and a lot of unhappy plants. Now, those DIYers are turning to Yardzen to create a comprehensive plan for their yard and install it.

Over 93% of Yardzen clients indicate that they plan to hire a Yardzen contractor to install their designs, and according to Home Depot’s Q3 report, the big box store is seeing the same. Home Depot’s earnings call tells this story, also.

From the call:

“During the third quarter, Pro sales growth continued to out-pace DIY growth. […] Similar to the second quarter, we saw many of our customers turn to Pros for help with larger projects. We remain encouraged by what we are hearing from our Pros, as they tell us their backlogs are healthy.”

We predict DIY will continue to slow in 2022.

Embrace the Seasons of Your Yard

With a desire to live outside year round, people will design their yards to provide utility through the seasons in 2022.

Here at Yardzen, we’re inspired by the Nordic expression “frilutsliv,” which roughly translates to “open-air living” throughout the year, even in the frigid North. For all of our clients, regardless of their latitude, it’s always our recommendation to embrace the seasons of your yard and make the most out of your outdoor space regardless of the weather. The good news is that there are many landscaping and exterior design solutions that make year-round yards beautiful, functional, and comfortable.

Add Warmth

When designing a cool-season yard, adding warmth is a top priority. Fire pits and heat lamps go a long way in making an outdoor space comfortable during the fall and winter. We also recommend keeping throw blankets handy–they are a beautiful decor touch and are an easy and inexpensive solution.

Protect From the Elements

Pergolas, covered patios, and porches can transform a yard into an all-seasons gathering space. There are several pergola options with cantilevered and removable covers that protect from the elements.

Make it Beautiful

There are many ways to make your yard come alive during the cool season. To add natural beauty to your yard, consider including evergreens in your design that will add life to your yard regardless of the season. Potted plants with cold-hardy varieties are also a fantastic way to give personality to a barren landscape. We also recommend adding décor, like string lights, to bare trees and bushes, which gives leafless plants an architectural and sculpture feel.

The Rewilded Yard

Rewilding, or restoring wildness, will lead outdoor trends in 2022 as people favor native and climate-adapted plants.

Yardzen launched the American Rewilding Project in 2019, and since then, we’ve designed yards with over 50,000 climate-adapted and habitat-supporting plants, laying the groundwork for wildlife corridors and healthy ecosystems throughout the country.

Since launching ARP, we’ve seen a significant uptick in requests for habitat-supporting plants. Today, more than 90% of Yardzen clients request native and climate-adapted plants in their yards. More and more, homeowners understand that they can make a difference in the world by what they choose to put in their yards. With an increasing focus on sustainability, we predict even more focus on rewilding in 2022.

The Backdrop to Your Yard

Landscaping will expand to include the exterior of the home, designed at once to create a cohesive palette, in 2022.

Just like the walls inside your home, the walls on your home’s exterior are crucial for setting the scene for everything around them, including landscaping and furniture. Paint color, decor, trim, windows, doors, and lighting are all an important part of the calculus of designing your outdoor rooms.

It is with this knowledge that your home’s facade is the backdrop to your landscaping that we launched our exterior design offering in the summer of 2021 in conjunction with several of our favorite retailers, including Benjamin Moore, Marvin Doors & Windows, and Rejuvenation. Our new packages allow homeowners to reimagine the full potential of their outdoor spaces. And, we’ve seen unprecedented demand for the service, with over 30% of orders now including exterior design.

Low-Maintenance Everything

After living and working at home, in 2022, low-maintenance outdoor spaces will reign supreme.

Yardzen’s top request in 2021 was for a “low-maintenance” yard and exterior. In fact, 89% of Yardzen clients wanted a low-maintenance yard. While Yardzen homeowners want to spend more time in their outdoor spaces, they don’t necessarily want to spend time maintaining them. The good news is that there are several plants, materials, and furniture solutions that make it easy to achieve a low-maintenance outdoor space.

Low-Maintenance Plants

Native and climate-adapted plants are one of the best options for low-maintenance plants. These varieties have grown to thrive in local conditions, meaning that they require little-to-no input from the homeowner, including water, amendments, and general care. Some will require pruning and “cutting back,” though, to maintain their size and thrive.

Low-Maintenance Materials

It’s important to keep maintenance in mind when selecting materials for your outdoor space. For example, wood decking requires regular cleaning and sealing. Instead, opt for composite decking material, like Azek’s TimberTech. Or, when painting your home, opt for a product with a bit of sheen, as it doesn’t show dust and dirt as readily.

Low-Maintenance Furniture

The key to low-maintenance furniture is selecting high-quality, durable products that stand up to the elements. Inexpensive, “single-season” outdoor furniture often becomes high-maintenance when it requires frequent replacement and repairs.

The Changing Face of Curb Appeal

42% of Yardzen clients request functional front yard space.

Curb appeal was long considered a manicured lawn and a fresh coat of paint. In recent years that definition has changed as our planet, our communities, and our priorities have changed.

We’re still big proponents of a fresh coat of paint, as well as new lighting, a mailbox, and house numbers. These changes can reveal an entirely new home. But, what happens in between a home and the street is rapidly changing.

Even before the pandemic, and increasingly since then, we’ve seen a 3x increase in requests for functional front yards. Space to grow vegetables, gather with the neighbors, and enjoy family gatherings. Much like traditional front porches, the front yard is now a space for open-air living with family, friends, and pets.

And, don’t forget the hell strip, that space in between the front yard and the street. A hell strip is a perfect space to add habitat-supporting plants and trees to tie the whole curb appeal together.

Pavers Add a High-Design Look to Any Yard

In 2022 people will add functional outdoor living space with pavers.

Poured concrete pavers remain one of our most requested design elements for their ability to add an architectural, high-design look to any style of yard. From ultra-modern midcentury yards to traditional yards, it should come as no surprise that concrete pavers are here to stay.

One thing we love about concrete pavers is how well they play with other materials. Turf, ground cover, and gravel all work very well in between poured concrete pavers. Not to mention, they are a great solution. In the majority of yards, permeability is a top concern, and concrete pavers offer that functionality.

Black is a Neutral

Paint it black. In 2022 black is the new outdoor neutral for fences and exteriors.

We’ve all seen the rise in black and charcoal fences and exteriors. Here at Yardzen, one of the top requests for our clients is to change the surfaces of their home and yard from an outdated brown or beige to a bold black or blue.

While some may be hesitant to jump on this trend, our partner, Benjamin Moore’s Head of Color, Andrea Magno, says that dark colors are here to stay, and that “black is now neutral.” So, for those who are hesitant to change their home or their fence to a black or charcoal– go for it. Dark exteriors are here to stay!

A New Look for Lawn

Good-bye, lawn. As drought imposes its consequences in 2022, people will say goodbye to lawn and hello to alternatives.

Every year, lawns consume trillions of gallons of water, millions of gallons of gas, and millions of pounds of pesticides. Traditional sod provides little to no habitat for pollinators and other animals and plants that make up a healthy, diverse ecosystem. Fortunately, there are several fantastic low-water, habitat-supporting alternatives that Yardzen recommends as part of our American Rewilding Project.

Yardzen’s staff horticulturalist, Zolene Quindoy, shares her top recommendations for lawn replacements.

Non-Grass Ground Cover

For smaller areas, non-grass species can be a great fit. Ground-hugging perennial ground covers create a soft natural carpet or fill in between pavers and stepping stones. Many species are durable enough to tolerate occasional foot traffic, and there are species suitable for both sun and shade. Some of the species we use most are Silver Carpet (Dymondia margaratae), Creeping or Wooly Thyme (Thymus spp.), Roman Chamomile (Chamaemelum nobile), and Stonecrop (Sedum spp.).

No-Mow Lawn

Usually a blend of creeping and clumping Fescue varieties. It does require occasional mowing and raking out old material to keep it healthy and looking tidy. You can select low water no-mow varieties that require much less water and fertilizer than a traditional lawn, and the minimal maintenance also reduces the carbon footprint compared to mowing with a gas-powered mower. Some of our favorite

 Meadow Grasses

These are usually not true “grass” species, but a closely related plant called sedge (Carex sp.). Species used will vary regionally, but some common varieties are Carex praegracilis, C. pansa, and C. texensis. Great for stabilizing slopes.

Buffalo Grass (Buchloe dactyloides)

North American native that comprised the short grass prairies that American Buffalo once roamed. Requires ~75% less water than a traditional lawn. May be mowed to more closely resemble a traditional lawn, or left to grow out to its full height of 8-10″. Turns buff/golden-brown in winter, but quickly greens up in spring.

Edibles Throughout

Growing your own has never been more desirable than it will be in 2022.

Just as we’ve seen a continued desire for edible gardening at home, we’ve also seen a rise in clients requesting “functional” plants throughout their yard as a way to exercise an emerging green thumb. For many, this looks like choosing edible ornamentals—plants with multiple purposes, including edibles. Examples include apple trees for shade, basil as a shrub, olive trees for beauty, hedges made of rosemary, artichokes for adding body and texture, grapes to cover pergolas and arches, and purple cabbage to add color. For homeowners seeking purposeful, functional, and beautiful landscaping, edibles are a fantastic choice.