Your front garden is the business card of your house. It's the first thing people see when they walk past or visit you. A shame not to do anything with it, right? At Boender Outdoor Garden Furniture we love to make something beautiful out of every outdoor space. That's why we're giving you 10 fresh and creative front garden ideas below to help you get started!
Before you start: first pick one style that suits your house — sleek and modern, rustic, or lush and green — and build your front garden around it. That way the tips below become a coherent whole rather than a set of disconnected ideas. Looking for more inspiration? Also check our tips for a small back garden.
1. Play with height differences
A front garden quickly looks boring if everything is on one level. By working with different heights, you create a playful effect. Think of a small tree in the middle, a raised border along the garden path or planters at different levels. This ensures your front garden has depth and your eye is naturally drawn to your front door. Extra fun: tall ornamental grasses or box balls combine beautifully with lower ground cover plants. It's not a coincidence: the human eye naturally follows the highest lines in a scene first, a principle garden designers have used for decades to guide visitors toward the front door.
2. Opt for low-maintenance plants
Don't have green fingers or simply don't fancy spending every weekend in the garden? Then this is the tip for you. Choose perennials, ornamental grasses and evergreen shrubs that require little care. Think lavender, hydrangeas, ivy or box. That way your front garden always looks fresh and well-maintained, without taking up much of your time. A win-win!
Choose low-maintenance plants deliberately, rather than finding out the hard way that you're pruning every month. A front garden should save you time, not cost it.
3. Create an inviting garden path
A beautiful garden path makes your front garden not only practical but also stylish. You can choose sleek tiles if you like modern, or classic bricks for a rural feel. Gravel paths are also popular and give a natural look. Finish the path with low planting or lighting along the edges for an extra welcoming feel. When choosing paving, consider the colour too: light tiles look more spacious in a small front garden, while dark bricks give warmth and contrast against greenery.
4. Place a bench in your front garden
Why would you only see your front garden as a passageway? Make it a place where you can enjoy yourself too. For example, place a stylish garden bench or a nice chair by the front door. Ideal for having a cup of coffee in the morning sun or having a chat with passers-by. At Boender Outdoor Garden Furniture we have plenty of compact garden furniture that fits perfectly in a small front garden. Choose a narrow model against the wall if space is limited, and pick a weather-resistant material like aluminium so you can leave the bench outside all year round.
Sergio Garden Bench (110x40xH45 cm)
5. Lighting for atmosphere and safety
Lighting is often overlooked in the front garden, but it really makes a difference. With subtle ground spotlights, wall lamps at the front door or lanterns along the path, you ensure that your garden also looks inviting in the evening. Plus, it's nice to be able to walk safely to your front door in the dark. Police and insurers also list lighting around the front door as one of the simplest and cheapest ways to deter intruders, since most of them actively seek out shelter and darkness.
Choose 12V garden lighting: it runs on low voltage, is safe around children and pets, and you can install it yourself without a permit or electrician. Browse the full range of garden lighting for more inspiration.
LED Outdoor Lamp Ceto 2W
Curious what this looks like in practice? Check out these two videos for inspiration:
6. Add colour to your front garden
Colour makes you happy! Combine plants that flower at different times of the year, so there's always something beautiful to see. Think cheerful flowers like geraniums, lavender, tulips or violets. Or make use of coloured pots, cushions on your garden bench or a cheerful doormat. This way you quickly and easily give your front garden more personality. Fun fact: bees and butterflies see blue, purple and yellow best and are drawn to them far more strongly than to red flowers — so it pays to pick your colours with pollinators in mind too.
When combining colours, stick to two or three main colours at most, so your front garden looks calm rather than cluttered. Green as a base with one or two accent colours almost always works.
A front garden doesn't have to be just a passageway — with the right layout, it becomes just as much a place where you'll want to linger yourself.
7. Create privacy with greenery
Do you like your front garden to be a bit sheltered? Then go for a green boundary fence. Think of a hedge, low box, ornamental grasses or even a wooden fence with climbing plants such as ivy or clematis. This not only provides privacy, but also creates extra atmosphere and more greenery in your streetscape. Choose evergreen varieties if you want shelter all year round, or deciduous plants if you'd rather have more shade in summer and more light in winter.
Looking for inspiration to furnish your patio? Then be sure to read this article!
8. Add a water feature
A small fountain, a water bowl or even a mini pond: water in your front garden immediately creates a calming feeling. The soft sound of babbling water is relaxing and attracts birds and butterflies. This way you turn your front garden into a pleasant place for people and animals alike. Choose a model with a small solar-powered pump if you don't have an outdoor socket — that keeps both installation and maintenance simple.
9. Make your front garden entrance extra inviting
Small details make the difference. Place beautiful planters next to your front door, hang a cosy outdoor lamp or lay down an atmospheric doormat. Also think about a house number sign that matches the style of your garden. That way everyone feels welcome even before they've rung the bell. A wall lamp next to the front door not only adds atmosphere, but also helps visitors find your house number and letterbox in the dark.
LED Wall Lamp Deimos Black 1W
10. Think sustainably in your front garden
A beautiful front garden can also be environmentally friendly! For example, choose native plants that are good for bees and butterflies. Install a rain barrel to collect rainwater or use recycled materials for your garden path or furniture, such as broken tiles as filler under gravel or an old wooden pallet turned into a planter. This way you contribute something to nature and your front garden looks beautiful.
Small effort, big difference: a €30 rain barrel can easily save hundreds of litres of tap water per summer for your plants.
Frequently asked questions about designing your front garden
What's the best way to approach designing my front garden?
Start with the basics: determine where the path to the front door runs, and work outward from there with planting, lighting and possibly a seating spot. Pick one style and stick to it.
How much does it cost to redo a front garden?
This varies enormously, from a few hundred euros for new plants and a garden lamp to several thousand euros if you also replace the path or need groundwork. Start with the tips you can do yourself and build from there.
Which plants need the least maintenance in a front garden?
Perennials, ornamental grasses and evergreen shrubs such as lavender, box and ivy need the least care. They come back year after year and don't need replanting.
How do I make a small front garden look bigger?
Work with height differences and a clear path to the front door, use light colours for paving and pots, and avoid too many separate elements.
