Understanding enneagram types helps you get to know yourself, your partner, your co-workers, and other people in your life better. It can inform how you manage relationships, how you choose your next job, and how you interact with the world around you. And, yes, it can even influence your choices when you design the interior and exterior spaces in your home.

If you do not yet know your enneagram type, you can pay a small fee to take the test on the Enneagram Institute website, or you can do a quick search to find several free enneagram tests online. Since each of these free tests varies a little, you might want to take more than one to confirm your results.

Once you know your personality type, read on to learn how you can design your outdoor spaces to best suit your personality and lifestyle.

Personality Type 1: The Reformer

Also referred to as The Idealist, type 1 personalities are controlled, responsible, principled perfectionists. You are on a mission to improve the world and help others live their best lives, and you have little patience for yourself and others when straying from the purpose.

Ones are busy, since there is always more to do, which means you do not have a lot of time to dedicate to yard maintenance. Being in control is also important to you, so clean lines and well-planned landscape design work well for you. Plus, part of your idealism includes a commitment to the environment, so eco-friendly landscaping options are a must.

This means your ideal backyard is a well-planned design with low-maintenance, eco-friendly hardscapes and landscaping. Think paving stone or brick patios, gravel walkways, native plants, and artificial grass lawns that save water. Since one of your personal growth recommendations from the Enneagram Institute is to learn to relax more, make sure you include some comfy seating and maybe a fountain or fire pit to provide a relaxing focal point in your outdoor living area.

Personality Type 2: The Helper

Twos are nurturing, caring, generous folks who love to create a cozy home for your loved ones and a warm, welcoming atmosphere for your guests. You want your family and guests to feel truly cared for and loved, and it is important to you to make sure everyone’s needs are met.

This means that you will be most drawn to landscape designs with layers of texture and color and outdoor living areas with festive string lights, a fire pit to gather around, cozy chairs for hours of entertaining, and probably a basket of throw blankets to make sure your guests stay warm.

A fire feature is a must for you, since you will surely need a cozy spot for entertaining throughout the year. Unlike Ones, you don’t mind spending a little more time taking care of your yard as long as the end result is a welcoming space that brings you and others joy. This means that colorful borders filled with flowers and a vegetable garden where you can grow food for your family are good options for you.

Personality Type 3: The Achiever

Type 3 personalities are ambitious, charming, energetic achievers. You are driven in all aspects of your life, and you can be a bit competitive, as well as status-conscious. This means that if you have a lawn, it needs to be perfect, and if you are inviting your neighbors over for a barbecue, you are going to want to make sure your outdoor living areas and grill are just a little bit better than theirs.

While all personality types can benefit from professional landscape design, you might need it the most. It isn’t that you cannot design your yard, since you are both confident and competent. The reason you need to bring in a professional is because you need it to be perfect and to reflect the status you have worked hard to achieve.

Synthetic turf is the best option for your lawn, since this low-maintenance option always looks lush and green. For your main outdoor living area, a well-fitted patio kitchen is a must. Opt for the higher-end grill you know you deserve, both a food fridge and a wine fridge, and plenty of counter space for prepping and serving food. If you really want to impress your guests, spring for an icemaker and outdoor television to finish off your entertaining space.

Personality Type 4: The Individualist

As an Individualist, you are likely a bit withdrawn, sensitive, introspective, and artsy. You love a good vintage find, and every room in your home likely has a statement piece as a focal point. You do like to express yourself and some might say you have a flair for the dramatic, so bring that creativity to the table when designing your outdoor spaces.

You need space for creativity and a spot where you can get away from the world and recharge. To this end, your outdoor living area should include a cozy corner for reading, writing, or painting. You might also consider a deck or yurt dedicated to meditation and yoga. Spending hours in a vegetable garden where you can contemplate life while pruning tomato plants is likely appealing to you, so be sure to include garden space in your overall landscape design.

With this enneagram type, you might not entertain quite as much as others, but you still want an attractive, comfy outdoor living area. Start with an easy-care, paving stone patio, and then decorate it in layers with shabby chic furniture, boho light fixtures, and your best vintage finds.

Personality Type 5: The Investigator

If you fall under The Investigator enneagram type, you are likely curious, cerebral, independent, and innovative. You can be a bit isolated and might spend all that alone time gaining more knowledge and becoming the visionary you are meant to be.

You do not have the time or patience to worry about things like decorating. Plus, you care more about function and convenience than you do about status, so you just want the things in your house and yard to work, and you do not really care how they look.

Since you do not find much value in spending your time working on your yard, low-maintenance landscape design is a good choice for you. Opt for easy-care hardscapes, such as paving stone walkways and gravel or paving stone living areas. Since you might choose whichever patio furniture you can easily get for a good price, you might want to build a focal point into the design of your outdoor living area, such as an efficient patio kitchen or an outdoor fireplace.

Personality Type 6: The Loyalist

Sixes are committed, hard-working, and responsible, but you can also be a bit suspicious and riddled with anxiety. You need comfortable spaces where you can curl up and block out the world every once in a while, and you need your living spaces to be a relaxing retreat away from the outside world where you can escape your love-hate relationship with the stress that fuels you.

You do not have to have the nicest grill or the biggest swimming pool, but you do want comfortable, functional spaces and well-made features that will last. For your outdoor kitchen, choose a grill and refrigerator made by a trusted, long-standing brand. Select well-designed patio furniture with comfy cushions. If brown spots, weeds, and trying to keep your lawn looking perfect make you anxious, opt for artificial grass that always looks its best.

Privacy screens are particularly important for you, since you need your home to be your personal cocoon. Consider hedges bordering your outdoor living areas, hanging plants to block the view of your covered patio, and shade sails to add both privacy and sun protection.

Personality Type 7: The Enthusiast

Enthusiasts are spontaneous, spirited, optimistic extroverts. You definitely want to entertain every chance you get and surround yourself with belongings and people that inspire you and bring you joy. You do tend to be busy though, so you need a yard that is always guest-ready.

Your must-haves for your outdoor living space include a patio kitchen fit for entertaining and a fire feature where you and your guests can gather to catch up over a glass of wine. If there is space, a swimming pool would also be a nice addition so that you can expand your weekend barbecues into pool parties.

A pop of color just is not enough for you, so your patio décor is likely to be a combination of vibrant, bright colors and at least a few furniture pieces that maybe do not exactly go with your overall theme but that you just had to have.

Since you know your interests can change from one week to the next, instead of committing to a basketball court or tennis court, opt for a multi-sports court that will give you the versatility you need for your ever-changing but always playful lifestyle.

Personality Type 8: The Challenger

Type 8s are confident, assertive, dominating, and decisive. You know what you want, and you want to make sure that it reflects the hard work you put into getting it. You are not afraid of a challenge, so you may be thinking about taking on your landscape design as a DIY project. With your energy, industriousness, and tenacity, you could likely do just fine on your own, but you may want to consider professional landscape design if only to make sure you get everything you want and that it is all state of the art – just how you like it.

Your outdoor kitchen is going to be a little nicer than most other personality types, which makes sense, since you will be throwing some fantastic dinner parties. You will also need a spacious, slip-resistant patio for all of those guests, since your circle of friends is large and always expanding. You need a sports court, of course, but you probably need something with a little more pizzazz than a basketball court. A bocce court might suit your style better and, of course, you are going to need a climbing wall, since you love a good challenge.

Personality Type 9: The Peacemaker

As a nine, you are a trusting, agreeable, easy-going, whimsical peacemaker. Harmony, peace, and balanced energies are your goal, both in your home and in the greater world. You love connecting with people, so the design of your indoor and outdoor living spaces needs to both reflect your harmonious nature and be fit for entertaining.

You lean towards bohemian design, so go for a paving stone or stamped concrete patio that will provide a durable, attractive foundation for your multi-layered, eclectic décor. A peaceful atmosphere is paramount for this enneagram type, so you will want to include privacy screens and a variety of plants in your landscape design. You might also want to consider artificial grass for your yurt or all those outdoor yoga classes and meditation groups you will probably be hosting.

Regardless of your enneagram personality type, everyone could benefit from a professional designer helping them meet their landscaping goals. If you would like to schedule a free consultation for professional landscape design, contact Install It Direct to speak to one of our design consultants.