Urban jungle in London. Layered plantings have transformed this terrace into a space you would sooner expect to find on a tropical vacation than tucked in a London backyard. The designer created the effect by using relatively cold-tolerant tropicals, such as ornamental banana (Musa spp.), tree fern and bamboo, combined with tropical look-alikes, such as trailing nasturtium, which produces hot-orange and yellow blooms in summer.
Schafer shared two design tips for creating a similar landscape. 1. Limit the plant and material palettes. Reducing the number of plants and materials used for a project simplifies the design and gives it a more modern look. For example, massing a single variety of plants yields a more minimalist (and often more calming) result than planting a bed with many varieties and colors. 2. Think out of the box when it comes to using plants. “Use plants to contrast nature, rather than try to mimic it,” Schafer says. For example, he uses grasses in distinct planting blocks — hornbeam trained into a wall or blocks of grasses as landscape carpets — to become architectural elements of the design.
Hang in there. In addition to traditional hammocks and swing seats, there are also many types of hanging bubble chairs or cocoon seats available on the market for outdoor use. Don’t worry if your garden or terrace doesn’t have a large tree to suspend a hanging chair from, as many of these chairs come complete with their own stands. The chairs range in sizes and style, and they are made from materials such as macrame, rattan, wood, metal and plastic. Use weatherproof cushions to add comfort and swing away.
Add cocktail-height side tables and a coffee table so you'll have a place for drinks and snacks while you enjoy the golden hour. This will also make the area feel more furnished and help anchor the seating group within the great outdoors.
Outdoor dining, French or Italian style. Draw inspiration from the French and Italian traditions for long, leisurely lunches al fresco. Set out big platters of simple, seasonal foods family style, along with wine in glass carafes. Keeping a basket of essentials (sunglasses, straw hats, sunscreen) available for guests to grab as needed is a thoughtful touch.
Tip: Create mood lighting. Beautiful lighting is the key to hosting an outdoor party that really wows guests. And the great thing is, it doesn't need to be expensive! Line up hurricane lamps or tiki torches along a path, scatter tea lights on tables and hang lanterns and string lights overhead. If you are concerned about fire, stick with battery-powered candles rather than the real deal.
Plant a living privacy wall. Long, low planters filled with palms provide privacy on an urban patio. Check with your local garden center to find varieties that will do well with the light conditions on your patio.
Use a coffee table and poufs in your backyard hangout. Poufs can be a bit cheaper than dining chairs, and they make for a fun twist when entertaining. Less formal than a dining table and chairs, and more convivial than an outdoor living room, the intimate setup here encourages chatting, snacking and sipping.
Choose gravel instead of stone. Gravel costs far less to install than pavers or other hardscaping, and can look just as chic. For a beach-inspired twist, try spreading crushed oyster shells instead of gravel — if you live on the coast, it may be cheaper than gravel, too.
Never underestimate the power of café lights. A strand or two of outdoor café lights (the kind with large bulbs and exposed filaments) is a can’t-miss way to bring life to an outdoor seating area. If you do not have access to outlets, hang solar-powered string lights instead.
Mood. Next, define a mood by choosing two or three words that describe how you’d like to feel in the garden. These could be words like peaceful and serene or playful and energized. As you begin to design your garden, include only the elements that resonate with your mood words. For example, this courtyard garden in central London feels like a tranquil retreat from the noise and rush of the city. Garden elements and accessories are kept to a minimum, and each adds to the Zen-like atmosphere.
Opt for circular tables over rectilinear shapes. If you’re in the market for an outdoor table and chair set, consider a circular or oval-shaped table over square or rectilinear. Rounded tables are easier to navigate around and can better accommodate another guest in a pinch. No one likes to sit at the corner during dinner.
Tip: A string of paper lanterns is another option. While the effect is dreamy, it’s an option best suited for dry climates or temporary displays.
create privacy.
Go for a modern, minimalist look. Skip fussy, labor-intensive flower beds and opt for easy-care shrubs paired with sleek hardscape. In this contemporary garden in Southern California, the elements of the hardscape are just as diverse and interesting as the plants in the border, and they take little effort to maintain.
Create outdoor living areas. Extend your living space and options for entertaining in warm weather with outdoor dining areas, lounges and seating nooks around fire pits. Patios, decks and terraces cut down on planting space and lawns to maintain. Not only do these gathering spaces tempt you to be outside enjoying your garden more often, but they also generally require less maintenance than garden beds.
To change the feeling of a space without adding back any clutter, try rearranging outdoor furniture for a new perspective or adding a fresh coat of paint in a surprising hue. This pair of lime green Adirondack chairs set against a cobalt blue wall brings energy and life to the otherwise fairly monochromatic garden.
LOVE, LOVE THIS PLACE…. Redefine your garden style. By this point in the process, your outdoor space will appear much cleaner than when you started. Take advantage of this to rethink your garden’s planting plan, furniture arrangement and the overall feeling you’d like to create. Perhaps it’s time to heavily prune a mature tree to open up a view of the sky or adopt a more calming color palette than in previous years.
Outdoor spaces can just as easily become cluttered with tools, broken pots, plants that should have been pitched and a mishmash of outdoor accessories. For a fresh start, let’s take a look at how to put seven lessons from the KonMari Method to work outside and, ultimately, open up more time to enjoy the garden.
Flexible seating areas. Skip built-in seating areas that are heavy on hardscape, and opt instead for more flexible arrangements of chairs, tables or fire pits that can be moved around. Portable furniture allows you to move your outdoor gathering spot according to what feels best in each season. Perhaps one area of the garden — such as under the canopy of a large shade tree — is more appealing in summer, while a spot that catches late-afternoon sun can be welcoming in winter.
A close-up of the same wall, in the backyard of a home in Richmond upon Thames, United Kingdom, shows the bands of foliage used to create a striking diagonal pattern. The wall also screens the second half of the stairway leading to an upper terrace.
Bohemian escape. This unpretentious terrace in Paris proves that a stylish outdoor space needn’t require loads of fancy lighting or perfectly manicured plants. A few shrubs, some low-maintenance seating options and a mustard yellow color palette make this terrace the epitome of laid-back chic.
Access to the garden from the house is on the right-hand side, down a short run of steps. The old fig tree grows in the right-hand corner. “We let its asymmetrical position on-site determine the asymmetry of the final garden design,” he says. “I prefer an asymmetrical layout anyway, particularly in a small garden like this. If things are too symmetrical, it makes the space feel even smaller and looks very predictable. This is more interesting.”
Keep your outdoor furniture looking new. Nobody is going to sit on a cushion that’s green with mold. Here’s how to properly care for your outdoor furniture.
Size: The spacial requirement is the first detail to consider. I’ve seen bocce courts sized modestly, at around 45 feet long by 8 feet wide in some cases, but that’s a cramped court and play feels restricted. One of the game’s true joys is conceiving plays into lengthy arrangements, then watching rolls progress into its depths. A regulation bocce court is 91 feet by 13 feet, and the closer to that size you construct yours, the more authentic your experience will be. If possible, I recommend a minimum sizing of 70 feet by 10 feet.
It zones a garden. Dark furniture against pale paving powerfully zones the seating area in this garden. Together with minimal planting, it marks this out as a space where sitting and socializing is the priority.
Build the biggest deck you can. Dinky platform decks feel cramped and can make a small space feel even smaller. Make the most of your plot with the largest deck or patio you can fit. To get a bit more green, leave space along the edges of the hardscape to plant vines to cover the fences, and add some big containers with lush foliage.
Keep it clean. Simple lines and a tight color palette make a small space feel more spacious. Here, the horizontal lines of the house siding are echoed in the detached cottage’s window frame and decking. A color palette of gray, blue and mahogany across all materials helps make the space feel calm and uncluttered.
Notice the simple columns, shed porch roof and stone veneer on this house. While each of the houses presented here may be described in local terms, such as "hill-country cottage," they all share characteristics of minimalist traditionals.
In small gardens and narrow rectangular lots, position chairs so they are nestled in a corner or backed by a wall, hedge or large potted plants and oriented to look outward. This arrangement will provide a nook-like feeling of privacy and security.
Patio details: Secluded side yard Location: Chicago Dimensions: 10 by 12 feet (3 by 3.7 meters) Materials: Mixed paving materials of stone, glass, tile and brick salvaged from other projects Cost: Very low cost given that materials were salvaged This cozy dining nook next to a home in Chicago’s Lincoln Park neighborhood feels intimate and inviting with a bistro table and chairs nestled under the leafy canopy of a redbud tree. “The extension of plants up on the walls and overhead makes the space feel larger,” says architect Gary Beyerl of Burns + Beyerl Architects. The roughly circular patio layout works well around a round bistro table and helps break up the corridor of the side yard. Beyerl constructed the patio using salvaged materials from other projects to create a mosaic-like floor of mixed stone, glass, tile and brick. Low stone walls protect surrounding garden beds from chairs that might be pushed back onto plantings in the narrow space. Tip: You can pick up salvaged materials for paving and other construction materials, often at very reduced rates, from local salvage yards.
Use your side yard. This often-neglected area can be a real asset to a small garden. Use the narrow space to create a sense of arrival to an outdoor lounge and make the garden feel more spacious. To re-create the look here, position an outdoor seating or dining area in the corner of a small lot so that it is visible from the side yard.
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