How to Overcome Your Inner-City Courtyard Hurdles
Six common inner-city courtyard complaints and how to overcome them
Designing a small city courtyard garden can be tricky business. There is only so much you can cram into a small space, so how do you achieve it all without creating a cluttered mess? First, start by making a list of everything you would like to accomplish in your courtyard and then prioritise your wish list. There is no need to write a book, just a few words will do, like: inviting, private, refuge. Once you have had a brain dump, you are ready to create solutions that will allow you to realise an inner city courtyard that is tailored to your specific needs.
I spent eight wonderful years living in Sydney’s Inner West, where space is tight. My garden courtyard was integral to maintaining my connection to the natural environment. Even as my life and needs changed, it remained my refuge from the busyness of the city around me. During those years, I also had the privilege of designing many courtyard gardens around the suburbs of Sydney. Each one had its own unique design challenges, but a few common hurdles continually presented themselves.
I spent eight wonderful years living in Sydney’s Inner West, where space is tight. My garden courtyard was integral to maintaining my connection to the natural environment. Even as my life and needs changed, it remained my refuge from the busyness of the city around me. During those years, I also had the privilege of designing many courtyard gardens around the suburbs of Sydney. Each one had its own unique design challenges, but a few common hurdles continually presented themselves.
“It’s just too small!”
Small is always going to be small, but here are a few ideas to help maximise the way your space feels. The garden pictured is an excellent example of how to have it all, in a small space. Here are a few tricks of the trade the designer has employed:
1. If the courtyard walls and fences are not an asset, paint them a dark colour, such as charcoal, so they appear to recede.
2. Using similar colours throughout the garden can help to create a harmonised space. The garden in the photo uses greyed timber, which blends with the concrete and sofa cushions to create interest without conflict. With that being said, don’t hold back on a splash of colour!
3. Mirrors are a wonderful way to reflect a view or an element, which makes the garden feel lighter and brighter and gives the illusion of a sense of space. Be careful when positioning the mirror unless, you are particularly vein – most of us feel more comfortable looking at the garden reflected and not ourselves.
4. Keep the plant palette simple and uncomplicated. Tall, narrow planting is best to help achieve the feeling of space while providing a relief of green.
Small is always going to be small, but here are a few ideas to help maximise the way your space feels. The garden pictured is an excellent example of how to have it all, in a small space. Here are a few tricks of the trade the designer has employed:
1. If the courtyard walls and fences are not an asset, paint them a dark colour, such as charcoal, so they appear to recede.
2. Using similar colours throughout the garden can help to create a harmonised space. The garden in the photo uses greyed timber, which blends with the concrete and sofa cushions to create interest without conflict. With that being said, don’t hold back on a splash of colour!
3. Mirrors are a wonderful way to reflect a view or an element, which makes the garden feel lighter and brighter and gives the illusion of a sense of space. Be careful when positioning the mirror unless, you are particularly vein – most of us feel more comfortable looking at the garden reflected and not ourselves.
4. Keep the plant palette simple and uncomplicated. Tall, narrow planting is best to help achieve the feeling of space while providing a relief of green.
Creating flow from inside the home to the garden can make both spaces feel larger. As seen here, the continuation of timber to the garden and bifold doors accentuates the relationship between the two spaces. Adding visual interest in the garden helps to pull your eye outside and connects the garden to the house. Lighting up the garden at night is also an effective way to gain more enjoyment from our gardens and enhance our usage.
“There is no garden in my garden”
How do you create the garden sanctuary you have always dreamt of when all you have is a paved courtyard and a tight budget? Don’t be put off! Sometimes the best outcomes arrive from the toughest design dilemmas.
Pots are a great place to start. They are flexible and offer endless combinations of colour, texture and size. Larger more substantial pots are often the best solution. Many small elements can be cluttered and distracting. Instead, opt for one large feature pot or a group of pots in varying large sizes.
I love the image above, and while not a courtyard garden, it is a wonderful example of how simple colour and texture can be used to create interest.
Artificial turf is a way to add a sense of garden where there isn’t one. It can be laid over concrete or paving to add a little ‘faux vert’ to your outdoor space. (I never thought I would say that, but it has come a long way since my grandparents’ ‘kermit’ around their pool! All true, apparently it was easier to vacuum.)
How do you create the garden sanctuary you have always dreamt of when all you have is a paved courtyard and a tight budget? Don’t be put off! Sometimes the best outcomes arrive from the toughest design dilemmas.
Pots are a great place to start. They are flexible and offer endless combinations of colour, texture and size. Larger more substantial pots are often the best solution. Many small elements can be cluttered and distracting. Instead, opt for one large feature pot or a group of pots in varying large sizes.
I love the image above, and while not a courtyard garden, it is a wonderful example of how simple colour and texture can be used to create interest.
Artificial turf is a way to add a sense of garden where there isn’t one. It can be laid over concrete or paving to add a little ‘faux vert’ to your outdoor space. (I never thought I would say that, but it has come a long way since my grandparents’ ‘kermit’ around their pool! All true, apparently it was easier to vacuum.)
“My furniture won’t fit”
When it comes to furnishing your courtyard, don’t overdo it. If you only need a small table and chairs on a daily basis, don’t squeeze a heavy eight-seater dining table into your tiny courtyard because you love to entertain. There are many flexible options available; one I personally subscribe to is owning one table only. While I’m in the kitchen cooking up a storm, I put my guests to work carrying the dining table out to the garden! Folding table and chairs can work well too, just hang them on the wall when you are finished.
Depending on materials, garden features such as water bowls, which are lovely in summer, can be transformed to fire pits for winter.
The beautiful garden above, designed by Sydney architect Luigi Rosselli, has two foldable butterfly chairs and no other furniture but the built-in seating, which no doubt doubles as storage.
When it comes to furnishing your courtyard, don’t overdo it. If you only need a small table and chairs on a daily basis, don’t squeeze a heavy eight-seater dining table into your tiny courtyard because you love to entertain. There are many flexible options available; one I personally subscribe to is owning one table only. While I’m in the kitchen cooking up a storm, I put my guests to work carrying the dining table out to the garden! Folding table and chairs can work well too, just hang them on the wall when you are finished.
Depending on materials, garden features such as water bowls, which are lovely in summer, can be transformed to fire pits for winter.
The beautiful garden above, designed by Sydney architect Luigi Rosselli, has two foldable butterfly chairs and no other furniture but the built-in seating, which no doubt doubles as storage.
“It’s overlooked”
Privacy can be a big issue. If you feel people are watching you, it can make you feel self-conscious and uncomfortable. Non-invasive bamboo such as slender weavers (Bambusa textilis Gracillis) is a fast way to screen out neighbours. It grows well in planters as long as it is well watered. Small trees can also provide coverage and are a good option if you have the space. An overhead pergola or vertical screen or blind may be the best way to enjoy your outdoor space without fear of prying eyes.
Make the most of any borrowed views you may enjoy. I am not referring to those lucky few who have water views, but the more subtle outlooks. You can benefit from a neighbour’s big, beautiful tree and be thankful it isn’t in your little courtyard!
More: Private Property: Stylish Ways to Boost the Privacy of Your Home
Privacy can be a big issue. If you feel people are watching you, it can make you feel self-conscious and uncomfortable. Non-invasive bamboo such as slender weavers (Bambusa textilis Gracillis) is a fast way to screen out neighbours. It grows well in planters as long as it is well watered. Small trees can also provide coverage and are a good option if you have the space. An overhead pergola or vertical screen or blind may be the best way to enjoy your outdoor space without fear of prying eyes.
Make the most of any borrowed views you may enjoy. I am not referring to those lucky few who have water views, but the more subtle outlooks. You can benefit from a neighbour’s big, beautiful tree and be thankful it isn’t in your little courtyard!
More: Private Property: Stylish Ways to Boost the Privacy of Your Home
“What do I plant?”
When it comes to planting in a courtyard, think tall and thin. Bushy plants will take up a lot of space. Limit the number of different species you plant – it will add cohesion to your garden. Climbers can shine in a small space. Varieties such as climbing fig (Ficus pumila) or canarian ivy (Hedera canariensis) will attach themselves with no additional support but your wall or fence. Make sure to keep them well trimmed; your neighbours will thank you. Vertical gardens are one of my favourite ways to inject some green into small spaces.
Raised planter beds can help to form and shape the courtyard by defining the area and have the added benefit of providing additional seating if they are built about 400mm high.
When it comes to planting in a courtyard, think tall and thin. Bushy plants will take up a lot of space. Limit the number of different species you plant – it will add cohesion to your garden. Climbers can shine in a small space. Varieties such as climbing fig (Ficus pumila) or canarian ivy (Hedera canariensis) will attach themselves with no additional support but your wall or fence. Make sure to keep them well trimmed; your neighbours will thank you. Vertical gardens are one of my favourite ways to inject some green into small spaces.
Raised planter beds can help to form and shape the courtyard by defining the area and have the added benefit of providing additional seating if they are built about 400mm high.
Embrace your space. Your courtyard is what it is. It is a small outdoor area squeezed between buildings in a busy metropolis. Work with the area you have and embrace it. It doesn’t take much to create interest in a courtyard.
but the devil is in the detail. In small areas, you must make your decisions count. There is a tendency to try to squeeze too much into small spaces, so remember less is almost always more!
TELL US
What have we missed? What’s your biggest courtyard conundrum?
MORE TIPS
How to Make Your Courtyard Sing on Sunny, Summer Days
7 Common Garden Mistakes and How to Avoid Them
Bountiful Gardens: The 6 Zones of Permaculture
14 Courtyard Updates You’ll Thank Yourself For
but the devil is in the detail. In small areas, you must make your decisions count. There is a tendency to try to squeeze too much into small spaces, so remember less is almost always more!
TELL US
What have we missed? What’s your biggest courtyard conundrum?
MORE TIPS
How to Make Your Courtyard Sing on Sunny, Summer Days
7 Common Garden Mistakes and How to Avoid Them
Bountiful Gardens: The 6 Zones of Permaculture
14 Courtyard Updates You’ll Thank Yourself For
Lack of storage space is often a problem in inner-city courtyards. You don’t really want to look at the rusty bike you never ride, your stinky bins or the clothes line full of undies that you should have thrown out last year, but space is tight; how do you pack it all in?
First of all, get rid of what you don’t need and get clever about the rest. Every day you are going to park the car, hang the washing and use the bins, so screening solutions need to be convenient and easy to use. Solving these issues are a priority. Once your courtyard is functioning well, the rest is easy.
The courtyard garden pictured is a good example of screening and storage solutions. The built-in seating has a hinged timber lid that can be lifted to provide additional storage. The block wall finishes the outdoor dining space beautifully but also hides the walkway, which accesses the garage behind.