HI - Is this all yours or do you share ? First get the place power washed ,- I hope the stains come out ! Have your B - B - Q in the small corner near the patio doors and maybe a small bistro table and chair set. You could put up one of those tent style gazebos , lay down an out door carpet and have an out door daybed sofa and a couple of matching chairs.Then place all your pots and urns around. Have some big square style planters against the brick wall and plant some tall grasses or thin trees. Or maybe you need this area for a dining set .You could also have a fuel fireplace for the chilly nights and they are just nice to have.

There are a lot of geometric shapes going on here; lattice, squares, bricks and rectangles. I'd start with taking up the patio and replacing it with a stone or concrete laid on a brick pattern to loosely repeat the brick of the building.



I'd paint the privacy walls a similar color to the patio stones and repeat the lattice pattern by installing lattice trellises in low rectangular planters - to fit between the wall panels. I'd plant evergreen vines (ivy or the like) in the planters. The effect will be neat evergreen panels against the walls. You could also opt for vertical wall gardens with benches beneath.

Then you can place your pot collection around to accent different seating areas or serve as focal points.

This space has loads of potential! In addition to what was already suggested, I would create separate areas for dining, sitting by the firepit, and grilling. Also, this space is in need of some color! If you paint the fence, plant some colorful flowers in the pots you have, put colorful cushions on the seating, and maybe a colorful umbrella to match....it would perk up this patio quite nicely.

What a great area to have. Firstly I would power wash the tiled area then paint the fence (not white too much of a glare) put up a coloured window box (try and match the fence colour to give continuity) on the brick wall, add a good quality table and chair set with separate lower seating area around a fire pit placing all your pots etc in groups of 3 or 5 around the area. Try and incorporate taller plants as separation within the area, it'll make it interesting and feel larger. Use what you have to good effect which should save you money. Take your time though and do it gradually that way you learn how the light works within the area and where your stuff suits best. Good luck.

cheapest/fastest alternatives I see, some of which were already mentioned: (1) power wash concrete. (2) whether or not you won this space, avoid staining the concrete, painting the brick or even the fence. Work exclusively with plants & furnishings. (3) if you own 1 or more of the 2 balconies shown in the photo, replace lattice with wood uprights & cable horizontals to open up the view, declutter the various visual textures at play here, & modernize the balcony. Reworking the balcony(s) could be expensive tho & is definitely not DIY. (4) go big with container plants along wall in left of photo - consider 1 or more large galvanized horse-trough sized containers placed on piano dollies. If you have a feed store near you, look around there; galvanized containers for livestock might be cheaper than similar items at home/garden center. Plant the trough(s) with whatever mid-sized trees are suitable to your climate zone & the mini-climate of this space, e.g., Italian cypress (a row of 3 or 4 in a galvanized trough you could wheel in & out of various areas would look dramatic; small fruit trees would give a Mediterranean feel; etc.) Having something large & vertical along that fence would not just soften the whole patio, but draw one's attention away from the AC unit on the brick wall. (5) along the brick wall, trellises in a Prairie-style rather than the crosshatching pattern of the balconies' lattice work. You could layer a few trellises one on top of the other in bright paint colors if you really wanted to get crazy. The attempt on that wall as I see it would be to draw attention away from the AC unit. You could DIY trellises using metal (copper? galvanized?) or PVC pipe.

Congrats on your new home. The major issue I see with the courtyard is the ground cover. If you are able to change it to something more 'earthy' it will dramatically change the entire outdoor space.

If you have some large pots, some clumping timber bamboo if your climate will host them. Diffently window or railing boxes with lots of color and some trailing type plants
to soften the overall facade. An umbrella , lounge chairs, maybe even a wall planter
of succulents. Since you have pots, fill with European type gardens with height, color
and texture. It will be a work in progress, until you see what really works for you and
your lifestyle. A water feature would be great if you need to mask traffic noise. If
you have children, a sandbox and if you like growing your own vegetables perhaps a
few raised garden troughs for lettuce or peppers, whatever your climate will support.

What is the square footage of your courtyard and do you have many windows above you, and that aren't yours, looking down on you (across from you, above you, diagonal from you, etc.)? Also, is the current tile graded towards some type of drain? Also, what direction do you face (N/S/E/W) and do you live in an area that gets hot in the spring/summer?

Ignore Manon .... that's to expensive and too much work. : )

Listen to Lefty and put your BBQ close to the doors.

1 - Clean the paving
2 - Install a drip system to water your pots and plant them with some tall things and some fluffy things.
3 - Add some comfy chairs or benches.

4 - Kick back and enjoy the summer. And make some longer term plans that reflect the reality of how you use a patio.

Let it evolve, and don't throw a lot of money at it for a few years.

Well . . . complete overhauls don't usually have a reputation for being cheap or easy.

There are tons of good ideas above that aren't labor or financially intensive. Tracydobbin, I hope you share pictures of your progress and what you decide to do. We'd all love to see them!

Wow, tsudhonimh--please try to keep your comments positive. I've followed Manon's comments since I've been on here and she is an amazing designer and contributor to this forum.

How does your comment about adding fluffy and tall things help?

What may be too expensive and too much work for you would be well within the scope of many others with more resources and a better work ethic.

Most people don't want to wait for a few years to enjoy their personal space and are willing to put whatever it takes into making it their own, and come here for input from both professionals and talented home owners.

To tell someone to ignore the comments of a contributor, especially a professional one, is both insulting to the decorator and to the person who asked for the original input with their decorating question. A person who posts a question on here is more that capable of taking from the replies what will work in their situation and adapting it to suit them and doesn't need to be told which to ignore and which to heed.

HI -- trudhonimh - Thank you for the complament ,but I won't take it at the exspence of my Houzz friends , please, we try not to be so critical. Manon has great ideas , she has it going on and I enjoy reading her take on designs. People are just looking for ideas and are not going to do exactly what only one of us say.I think all our ideas are valid . We all like to exchange ideas without putting a total on it . Everyone has their own budget , so I like the flow of ideas without a price on it. Please don't read this with an attitude , I'm not intending any anger , We welcome your input also, friend . Thank You, Your Houzz Friend - Lynda

Hi Guys,

Looks like there is a lot of great help happening here! I think there was just some good natured ribbing happening up there, but it's always tough to tell without seeing people's faces. When in doubt, let's try to err on the side of not taking things too personally. There is always room here for varied opinions and styles. That's one of the things that makes Houzz so much fun. :)

Have fun!

Emily Hurley
Community Manager
Houzz

Hi Tracy, I'm assuming you "own" this small outdoor patio? Since you've purchased the unit, sounds like you've plenty of time to plan and this small space can be made into one "wow-ie" outdoor room --- you've zillions of options depending on what you love to surround yourself with in the garden and what it is you wish to spend $$-wise.

I would agree with one of the replies above -- that you should live in the space for a while to see what the seasons bring you (hot/cold/rain/snow(?)), how the lighting during the day impacts your space (sun reflection, % shade), privacy issues from other windows, drainage issues, electricity access, reviewing the CCRs for the complex if any (conditions, covenants and restrictions) on what you can and can't do with your outdoor space and what inspiration all of that brings.

Take your time so that this becomes an extension of your indoor space: make it "THE" room you want to rush home to after a hard day's work --- where you go to relax with a glass of wine, martini, or cup of tea and listen to a trickling fountain or retire to after dinner in front of a fire pit (both? perhaps) while it hisses along with the summer's night or the crisp night air of fall.

Find what you would consider to be a focal point or an inspiration piece, ie, an outdoor fire pit, a "must have" outdoor couch, a beautiful color for that divider wall which delineates your space, perhaps a beautiful sculpture or water feature or simply an outdoor rug or new tile (think about heat absorption so it doesn't get too hot!) and work from there.

Allowing yourself time to get to know your new home, combined with thoughtful planning, will save you both time and money in the long run and give you tons of rewards when you see your vision come alive.

Here are a few images and a link that may give you some ideas. http://shine.yahoo.com/at-home/40-ideas-patios-190400536.html

What fun.

Cheers!!!

Idea #1 - I didn't post this for the "room" itself ... notice the bamboo for privacy and the intense color on that small pony wall they've built and that is a focal point which can inspire color through the rest of the courtyard.

Idea #2 -- Once again, I didn't post this specifically for the room itself. Notice it has two components. One for dining and one for lounging, plus potted plants to green up the space and which cools down the space when compared to all the concrete around it. They also installed what appears to be a trex flooring and alternated the directions for some visual interest.

Idea #3

Idea #4

Great ideas everyone! Please post pictures of your progress.

Wow! What an exciting thread! Lots of great ideas! So many, in fact, I haven't read them all. LOL because I'm eager to add my 2 cents.

Your patio certainly has an interesting shape. It sure beats the rectangular patio space offered in almost every apartment building so already you've got built-in drama. That's great.

If I may add one little suggestion (and maybe somebody already has so forgive me if that's the case), consider adding another level. Start with the level at the slider and gently build up another level six inches higher somewhere in the middle and then towards the end of the patio (where I assume the photographer was standing), add yet another level -- maybe as a retreat -- s comfy bench and lots of tall shady plants to provide a sense of enclosure around the bench so you can enjoy the outdoors and have a bit of shade for pets if you have any.

By the way, I really like the horse-trough-as-planter idea someone posted.

Have fun and enjoy your great space.

Lefy47 and Ali - thank you for your kind words.

Well after a month of moving and travelling I have finally read all of your suggestions and I thank you sincerely....soon we start and I'll be happy to post the progress, I hope I don"t disappoint!

I love the idea of stone laid on a brick pattern to loosely repeat the brick of the building/ painting walls a similar colour to the paving/ installing lattice trellis in low rectangular patterns & perhaps picking out a panel in a complementry colour as a focus and I'm thinking greys/black and warm browns/brick orange.....(the existing lattice and fired brick externals cannot be changed at this time) One more thing, I would like to replace the old aluminium glass sliding door & screen leading from the courtyard into the bottom level of the unit and the wooden door within the courtyard which is a little storage nook...any suggestions?

The two door photos on the left are the ones I 'd like to replace, the photo on the right is looking back from the sliding glass door to the "bottom" of the courtyard, just for a bit of context. Thanks!

I love reading everyone's ideas: they are so inspiring! Couple thoughts of my own:
1. To hide AC and give a little shelter, privacy from above, etc. you could hang up some sunsails (shade sails?) that are available thru Improvements, Home Decorators and others.

2. Large outdoor rugs help provide that "living room" feel. And act as an anchor to a furnishing grouping, just as rugs do inside your home.

3. I also like indoor furniture outdoors. If you go to furniture consignment stores they are overflowing with large entertainment armoires (since everyone is buying large flat screen tvs now!). Give these a few clear protective coats to weatherproof and use for multiple things: outdoor bar, store dishes, maybe outdoor tv!

4. Another unexpected touch for outside is to hang mirrors and art on walls and fences.

HI - Nice to hear how things are going and what everyone has for ideas. When you replace your patio door ,-- get a unite weather it.s a patio or french door style - get one that has the between glass blind. Then you won't need to have a drape or blind inside to bother with,- cleaner too. Maybe you could repurpose the old yard gate to fashion an AC cover. Have you tried to clean the stains off the patio yet? You could try CLR or I think AMWAY has a good product for that , like a driveway cleaner. Good Luck with your project.

Nice tile and color choices. You're on your way!

It's coming along. Looking good. Very interested to see what happens next. Good luck.

Great combo and will look lovely framed with some greenery, cool and fresh. Always wonderful to see the progress!

What a ton of fun.

Here are a few ideas on your slider and storage door:

Regarding your question about replacing your current slider. Looks like your kitchen is right inside that slider so perhaps replacing with an updated triple pane slider. They are more efficient and help to reduce energy costs while also protecting your interior from harmful UVs (flooring, wood furniture, carpets). You’d need no draperies (depending on your decor of course, and maybe then, only a colorful valance to soften the look) because there are so many choices for that interior pane, from removable between-the-glass mini-blinds and shades which have degrees of opacity to decorative panels and grilles. They are also easy to keep clean with no worry about draperies becoming discolored or soiled due to cooking oils.

You can choose the interior framing to either be unfinished (DYI), primed, or pre-finished (usually white(s), cherry, mahogany and early American type); while exterior can be aluminum in a number of color choices with a baked finish or that same finish which contains a resin for longer lasting protection (extreme sun or salty ocean air locations). Depends on the manufacturer.

There are also invisible, retractable screens that slide out of sight when not in use (not good for areas where you wish good security but yet need an open door for air ventilation).

I've triple pane windows and doors in my home with the retractable screens on the doors. I love them. I’ve no draperies in the entire house other than the master bedroom, but do have layered wood molding on the interior side that give them depth and create drama. I can change things up from time to time and get different looks from both the outside and inside by replacing my shades with different colors (times of year) or simply replacing a shade with a decorative panel or mini-blind for a very different effect.

I'm assuming your utility room door is right off your slider? You'll want to be sure to have them harmonize but choose your slider first and then find a door that will harmonize with it, for instance, if you get a slider with grilles (panes), then perhaps a utility door that has a window up top with panes that you can install patterned, frosted, or dark smoky glass that you can't see through. Either something that gives the door interest or just a simple exterior door that’s weather-proof and that you can paint a color that disappears into the brick facade.

Thanks for posting the updates!

Almost complete!

Awesome!

Gorgeous! I especially like the trellises and planters, they add a nice touch of architectural interest.

Yes that was one of the three things suggested originally by Manon Floreat and it gives a (sympathetic) nod to the existing lattice which adorns our 80's style property on the two verandahs above the courtyard. Not quite finished but a whole lot better to look at and live in.

If the small window to the right of the A/C unit is yours, that would be a perfect place for a window box or a raised bed below it. Could plant herbs there.