Challenged with a small space outside your back door? Here are some simple solutions that will transform your small backyard into a beautiful and functional escape by using one or more of these simple design ideas:

• Stick with the Essentials – Cluttering the space with unnecessary items will have the space feeling disorderly. Your outdoor space is at a premium, so take a minimalist approach in planning your retreat. Deploy just enough plants to make a statement and keep the clutter down.

• Choose the Best Plants – Consider using dwarf and well-behaved plants that won’t grow to overwhelm the site. If you treasure privacy, you can make your space feel more like a secret garden by planting a variety of of perennials, shrubs, and trees in beds around a patio or in large pots. What? No space for plantings? Go vertical! Planting up a wall increases the scale of a space and allows you to better showcase your greenery. Need local inspiration? Avalon in Alpharetta uses a vertical garden to soften the look of a side wall near Kona Grill. It’s quite the eye-catcher!

• Keep Furniture Flexible and Thoughtfully Positioned  – Areas of a garden that feel like inviting nooks can change both with the seasons and the time of day.  Use easy-to-move furniture, like lightweight chairs, to be able to easily change the position and arrangement of your seating area. 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.

• Fool the Eye – Creating a view along the diagonal of the property creates the illusion that the space is bigger than it looks. Consider placing steps on a zigzag line through the garden. This design provides areas to linger and enjoy fragrant vines and colorful plantings.

• Screen for Privacy – Create the feeling of a secret hideaway (and reduce the view of your neighbor’s house) by using privacy screens, walls, or strategic planting to cover at least two sides of an intimate, relaxed seating or dining spot.

Contact Us for a Free Estimate
Over the years we have designed and built thousands of projects for large estates and small backyards. Your project begins with a vision and evolves into a design that will fit your functional and aesthetic needs perfectly. Contact us at 770-781-4641 to discuss your goals and review initial design ideas culled from projects that started just like yours.