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Small Garden Strategy: Built-In Seating
Building a bench or other seating into your landscape can help give a small space a cozy advantage
Cassy Aoyagi is passionate about California native foliage and sustainably crafting a distinctive California aesthetic. She is president of the Theodore Payne Foundation for Wildflowers and Native Plants and of FormLA Landscaping. Her work has been featured on the Eco Echo Park Home and Garden Tour, at the Pasadena Showcase House of Design, on the Theodore Payne Foundation Native Garden Tour, and a multitude of other Los Angeles garden tours. The Los Angeles Times and InStyle Magazine, among others, have featured gardens designed by Cassy.
Cassy Aoyagi is passionate about California native foliage and sustainably... More »
People often ask how to make the most of a petite outdoor space. Keep in mind that your small space has advantages! Outdoor living spaces should have a coziness factor, which is much easier to create in a smaller space.
One of my favorite design tricks for small spaces is built-in seating. Here is how to apply it for dramatic effect in your cozy space.
One of my favorite design tricks for small spaces is built-in seating. Here is how to apply it for dramatic effect in your cozy space.
| Define your territory. Built-in seating can provide architectural design that defines a small space. |
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| Embrace funny spaces. Make them work to your benefit. Use interesting lines to offset the oddity of the space. |
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| A small bench placed strategically can feel like a personal invitation to enjoy a space, no matter how small. |
| Retain seating space. Built-in seating is often built into another feature. Topping off this short retaining wall with seating is a brilliant idea. Can you imagine sitting here with a book, smelling all the fresh blooms? Or seating your family here for photos amidst the foliage? Lovely! |
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| Combine with a raised bed. This bench with elevated planter could create a similar aesthetic in a much smaller space. I love its elegant, modern lines. |
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| Just as seating can be attached to planters, planters and other focal points can be designed into seating. This is an interesting strategy for integrating greenery, as well as armrest and beverage space, into a bench. |
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| Mixing earthy materials without getting too wild maintains a serene and inviting experience. |
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Maximize outdoor dining space. Mixing built-in seating with movable pieces also works well.
The built-in seat featured here gives the space structure, while the additional seating provides flexibility.
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by C.O.S Design
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| The same strategy works in a long, narrow space as well. |
Create room for fire features. This fire feature would need to be much smaller to accommodate the footprint of mobile seating. The built-in seating leaves room for more drama.
Tell us: If you have a tip that worked for you or a beautiful small-space garden, please share it below!
More:
16 Fire Pits to Fit Into Your Landscape
Find Your Perfect Patio
Tell us: If you have a tip that worked for you or a beautiful small-space garden, please share it below!
More:
16 Fire Pits to Fit Into Your Landscape
Find Your Perfect Patio
Comments
Jay Sifford Garden Design I enjoy using various leaf sizes and colors to create the perception of depth in a small space. Chartreuse, white, variegation, with smaller or more sculptural leaf shapes visually bring the space up closer, while darker green, purple or "black" foliage recedes and gives the perception of depth. The perception of light in a darker woodland garden can be created in the same way.
13 months ago · Like
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Dig Your Garden Landscape Design Hello Cassy, GREAT Ideabook! I love the the broad range of built-in seating you chose. And thank you for including one of mine that I designed for a SF Bay Area hillside garden. I appreciate your sweet words too! Eileen
13 months ago · Like
· 1
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designchallenged The bench in photo #3 is amazing!
13 months ago · Like
· 1
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Ideabook published on April 18, 2012.
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