Picture an elegant backyard garden or a house with spectacular curb appeal. Your first thoughts may be of tall, shady trees and vivid flowers sprinkled around a bright-green lawn. But just as colorful home decor needs neutrals for balance, cohesive landscaping requires a healthy amount of visual contrast to make the plant life pop. Enter hardscaping—the nonliving, yet equally pleasing, elements of outdoor design.

Hardscaping isn’t particularly exotic by definition. In fact, you may already have several of these features throughout your property: driveways, sidewalks, patios, and just about anything else in your yard made of hardwood, stone, or concrete. More elaborate examples include retaining walls, stepping-stone pathways, and brick borders around flower gardens. If you’re looking for ways to spruce up your yard, consider investing in these elegant hardscapes to create a stylish yet practical design—and potentially earn an excellent return on your investment.

Function before form

Keep in mind that good design always starts with function. Whenever you decorate any space, indoors or outdoors, you should ask yourself how you intend to use it. For example, a living room is typically used for relaxation and entertaining guests, which is why you likely filled yours with comfortable seating such as armchairs and sofas rather than a dining table or desk. Follow this same principle when deciding how to hardscape your yard. Would you like to use your outdoor spaces primarily for hosting parties, enjoying weeknight dinners with family, or taking leisurely strolls? With clear intentions at the center of your design, you can both choose appropriate features, such as a large pool deck, a patio, or a winding walkway, and feel confident in your decisions.

Themes and schemes

Before you make any changes, consider potential design limitations like a tight budget, homeowners association rules, or mature plants you would rather not uproot. These restraints may feel confining, but knowing them up front can help you formulate feasible ideas for your yard and avoid headaches down the road.

Once you’ve identified those factors, you can move on to the design. Because hardscape elements can vary widely in size, shape, material, color, and pattern, you might feel overwhelmed by your options. That’s why interior decorators will often choose a theme like “art-filled lounge” or “cozy family breakfast nook” to ensure their design feels cohesive. Using a singular theme can guide your choices and help you craft an outdoor design that works as a whole rather than as just a collection of assorted pieces.

So before you grab a shovel, determine what kind of look speaks to you. Do you envision your yard with a rustic and natural theme? Or do you prefer colorful bohemian, European estate, or contemporary and clean-lined aesthetics? If you’re short on inspiration, look to your interior design and think of how to carry the same elements outdoors but in weather-resistant materials.

For more ideas to kick-start your hardscape design overhaul, check out these creative concepts.

Sophisticated outdoor lounge

Design the perfect outdoor venue for a late-night cocktail hour. Lay stone pavers in a large circle amid mature greenery, install a firepit in the center, and then decorate the patio with comfortable lounge seating and cocktail tables. For the perfect party ambience, hang dramatic lighting like lanterns from the surrounding foliage.

Backyard kitchen

One of the most popular implementations of hardscapes, an outdoor kitchen can improve your hosting potential and make summer barbecuing a breeze. The options range from a finished concrete slab boasting a barbecue pit to a fully decked-out patio with appliances like a gas grill and sink. For best results, install flooring, cabinets, and countertops inspired by your indoor kitchen for a seamless indoor-outdoor design. Place a large table under a pergola, then put out enough chairs for friends and family.

Natural pool scene

A swimming pool may be an enviable home feature, but hardscaping can make it distinctive. To elevate your pool, install features like a flagstone deck, a boulder rock wall, or irregular stone retaining walls around lush trees and shrubbery. Once completed, your backyard haven will resemble a natural pond or tropical resort pool.

Romantic garden promenade

Highlight your greenery with refined hardscapes. Line groupings of plants with neat bricks, place a few stone benches for relaxation, center the scene with a birdbath or grand fountain, and then surround the garden with a waist-height fence. For a palatial theme, build symmetrical hardscapes in light neutral colors. You can also replicate a similar design in your front yard for head-turning curb appeal.

Take a design leap

There’s no understating the design potential and return on investment that hardscapes can offer your yard. The possibilities are virtually endless: imagine the potential of gravel paths through hedges, stone stairs that descend gracefully down a rolling hill, or retaining walls that frame tall trees and invite you to take a seat under their branches. Once your yard transformation is complete, the beautiful balance of lively landscaping and practical hardscaping will make the space an impressive setting to take in the summer breeze.