Design Tips for Building Compact Courtyard Gardens
With an increasing tendency for empty nesters
, young couples and singles towards higher density inner city living, and the preference for spending as little time as possible on maintaining gardens or other outdoor spaces, most new apartments, townhouses and condos tend to have only pocket sized backyards, courtyardsor balconies. So it becomes especially important to make the most of such restricted areas by judicious landscaping work and utilizing the area in the best possible way.
However its really not nescessary to be a certified landscape architect to create an inviting courtyard space - you just have to follow a few essential design principles. Whilst you can't physically enlarge the size of a small courtyard or patio , you can undoubtedly make use of a few visual tricks to create the illusion of space.
One important way of doing this is to construct a thematic association connecting the indoor and exterior spaces. Connecting the backyard or courtyard to the living room or kitchen, breaks down the barrier between inside and outside, making the entire area appear bigger. To establish this link, try to use paving materials that are similar in appearance, materials or color to those used in the house. If you have a tiled area inside , think about using the identical or similar tiles outside.
If you have a solid timber or floating wood floor in the house, one way you can create this thematic connection with a minimum of exertion is to lay interlocking wood deck tiles on the patio or courtyard. Although these kinds of tiles are best laid on top of a concrete pad, they can also be laid on top of a level and well compressed gravel surface if you don't have an existing patio outside your living zone. If you have a tiled area indoor, it's possible to purchase interlocking tiles in a variety of other surface materials including ceramic , granite, sandstone and slate.
Try to always use light colors for floor surfaces and walls which will also create an impression of space and light , so lighter colored tiles would in general be preferable in small areas.
In small areas , you should try to devote more space to seating and foot traffic than to plants which should be placed in wide, raised beds. For pathways, you could use deck tiles as "stepping stones" interspersed with gravel or stones and bordered by plantings.
A favourite piece of sculpture can be used a focal point providing it is consistent with with the common motif of the patio. But don't overdo the garden art. One sculpture or water feature is more than enough .
Clean, simple lines are normally superior in small situations rather than a "busy" look and a degree of formality is usually more suitable than an informal look. And the inclusion of only one or two large pots or planters will also give the impression of being less cluttered than numerous small ones.
With any plantings, stay away from using flowers with strong red, yellow or orange colours as they tend to "advance" towards you. Blues , purples and grays are preferable because they don't tend to dominate as much . And ensure that any plants used are chosen for all round appeal and not just for a short burst of colour in spring or summer , but dull for the remainder of the year.
With the above factors in mind, you'll find that even the smallest of spaces can give the appearance of being much larger than actuality .
Design Tips for Building Compact Courtyard Gardens
By: Malcolm Kay
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