Hi Aletla, If your apartment is part of a strata make sure that you get their permission before painting anything (best ask then fall foul of them as many courtyards are deemed as common property for exclusive use meaning that the Strata has the last word). If you get permission, I'd be tempted to lean towards a mid gray the same colour as the exterior building so that you're able to blur the lines between vertical and horizontal areas and make the area look bigger. You could think about putting in modular decking that will change the look of your courtyard that can be pulled up and that can be stained to any colour you pick. You would have to ask your strata but if you let them know it's modular and can be pulled up when you leave they should be OK with that as long as it cant be seen easily from outside the property boundaries. Regarding putting up shade - strata will not have any problem if you invest in a large outdoor umbrella as long as you make sure that it doesn't become a hazard during high winds/storms - you wont have to ask them. You can put up outdoor awnings but you'll need to get permission, supply all the engineering specs and your Strata may have restrictions regarding colour and style and may require you to: provide a structural engineers report on the impact, indemnify the building and put the awning on your insurance (a lot of work) and if necessary pay for a change of by-law. If you decide that you cant/don't want to change the colour of your outdoor flooring and as beige and grays are really popular, you could always tie the two together more with outdoor cushions for your seating that feature both of the colours. If you can get a high pressure hose and remove dirt and flaking paint to see exactly what the condition of the tiles are, you could ask your strata to pay for their reconditioning (if you offer to paint them and give them the colour and say you're happy to pay for that then they'll probably say "OK" to avoid costs to the strata as they're responsible for the external parts of your building - remember you only own the airspace of your apartment).

Hi Chris, yes garden 4 would look stunning and compliment your house beautifully, the magnolia’s have an upright rounded look, I have them in my garden and they are gorgeous , I have both little gem and teddy bear, little gem seems to be hardier, have you thought of a small gabian wall maybe incorporating a seat with rock colour similar to the house, or Corten steel that ages beautifully , a stacked stone again in colours of the house could look great.

Climate and orientation? I love the look of pavers with mondo but haven't managed to grow mondo very well here, it hasn't filled in and it looks terrible in summer. If it's a challenging site artificial grass as Julie suggests might be the way to go.

Usually I'd say think carefully before committing to covering brick. I've seen it done well, and I've seen it done badly from a maintenance point of view and also in regard to whether it successfully improved the appearance or just looked like a cheap attempt to 'modernise'. But in this case it's a small space and I think paint or render could work well, and then some planters and maybe a decorative piece on one wall, as Julie has suggested. Is it visible from anywhere other than the windows? If it doesn't affect the facade of the building there's potential to have some fun with colour. Relying completely on plantings to liven up the brick cell vibe means finding plants that look good while coping with the conditions. And plants and trellises make good homes for spiders. So I think I'd address the bricks first and then add something as a feature rather than the main solution. Where is the drainage?