The Grass Is Always Greener
With two wonderful inner-city pads coming to the market today, both with their own unique outdoor courtyards, I thought it would be the perfect time to share some of my top tips for maximising space and creating a vibe through urban outdoor living.
I love compact outdoor areas and courtyard gardens. The challenge they pose is making an area feel inviting and comfortable with limited square meterage. At our last house we had an outdoor area approximately 4m x 10m and we thoroughly enjoyed creating various zones for different purposes to use throughout the day. Here are the tips we learnt from creating our courtyard garden:
01 - Use Furniture To Create Zones
Use furniture to create zones, whether it’s an outdoor table, comfortable chairs or bean bags, look at where the sun travels throughout the day and think about how the various areas will be best used. We had a lovely old peach tree at our old house that provided shade during the Summer months, so was the ideal sitting area. Another space that was easily accessed from the living area was the perfect spot to eat outside, and so an outdoor table and chairs would have worked well there.
02 - Vertical Planting / Creepers
Vertical planting and creepers take up minimal space but provide the lush greenery required to make an area inviting and to give a sense of being outdoors. One of my personal favourites is climbing Ficus. We planted it in our last garden, and when we moved it was the first thing we planted in our new garden as it can take a few years to get started. But once it has started, it will rapidly cover any walls and fences in gorgeous year round greenery.
03 - Feature Lighting
Add feature lighting to highlight various zones and plants. I love outdoor lighting as it provides something to look at during nighttime hours rather than the outdoor area disappearing into the dark evening abyss. Whether it’s festoon lights, solar powered lights or professional up and down lights, in my opinion the more the better to illuminate your small outdoor area.
04 - Decorative Elements
Decorative elements such as pots, water features and even outside mirrors can bring personality and style to your outdoor area. Grouping various sized pots together with a range of plants is a great way to bring more greenery, texture and colour into your outdoor space and placing the odd statue, birdbath or mirrors around your outdoor space can provide layers of interest (make sure you light them up at night!).
05 - Outdoor Rugs
Outdoor rugs are a great way to truly zone a space outside. They are made of weather resistant materials and provide the ideal area to scatter some outdoor floor cushions or beanbags for a touch of Moroccan relaxation. Some of these items might need to be put under cover mid-winter, but will make for the perfect area to hang out with some good sounds when the sun reappears.