With all the gorgeous, sprawling outdoor spaces served up to us day after day on social media, it's all too easy to feel slightly disappointed when looking out at your own tiny outdoor space. But just because you don't have the space for an Olympic-sized swimming pool or a fully stocked outdoor kitchen doesn't mean your garden is any less worthwhile.
With minimal space to work with, designers are often pushed to think more creatively when designing small gardens, finding little ways to make a big impact. Without the luxury of space, a more refined approach is required, forcing you to fully consider what you actually need from your garden. Which, as a result, can often lead to more considered, intentional designs.
Plus, no place is more ripe for a dramatic transformation than a small, abandoned outdoor area. In just a few months, a pile of gravel and weeds can become a calming oasis. Don't believe me? Just take these before-and-after makeovers as proof.
1. Checkerboard Chic London Patio
BEFORE
AFTER
With elegant, checkerboard floors and bountiful, verdant greenery, this gorgeous patio garden in Wandsworth feels a million miles away from the astroturf lawn it once was.
Transformed by landscape designer Lilly-Joan Richardson, this garden went from an uninspiring, blank space to the home's central hub for entertaining.
"Previously, the garden was an underused space that felt flat and uninviting," Lilly says. "The clients are a family with three teenage children, and they wanted to transform it into a garden that was not only beautiful to look at — particularly from the kitchen, where it is visible all year-round — but also practical and inviting to use."
Her clients were keen to create a space that blurred the boundaries between indoor and outdoor living, where guests and family could gather in the warmer months, lounging on the sofas and crowding around the barbecue.
Despite the minimal space, Lilly was able to create two distinct 'zones' in this garden, using large, potted plants to separate the outdoor living room from the cooking area. In doing so, Lilly created the illusion of more space, while simultaneously making the two zones feel more intimate and inviting.
Get the Look
A small, jute rug brings a more elevated, indoor-outdoor feel to your garden setup.
This rechargeable, remote-controlled pendant light brings a gorgeous boho-vibe to any outdoor space.
Pair these matte, gray tiles with a lighter colored tile for an elegant, diffused checkerboard floor.
2. Shipping Container Chic
BEFORE
AFTER
A genius take on a garden room, deterred by the sky-high costs of a home extension, Abbie Newton, from The Joyful Chapter, instead chose to transform a bright blue, 20ft shipping container into an artfully designed creative studio.
The desire to make the most of a small space was in no way new to Abbie, who had already converted a van into a camper with her husband, Matthew. "We’ve always had a fascination with tiny homes,” she explains.
A converted shipping container may feel incongruous with the description of a luxurious, creative hub, but somehow Abbie and Matthew made it work, finding space for a photography studio, a small office space, and a DJ setup.
It doesn't stop there, though. The transformation continued outside the container, where Abbie designed a spa-worthy, outdoor wellness room, complete with a sauna and cold plunge. If this were in my backyard, I don't know if I'd ever go back inside.
3. A Terrace Transformation
BEFORE
AFTER
Proving you don't need a full garden to create an outdoor retreat, landscape designer Jon Fargion brought luxury rooftop energy to this Chelsea balcony.
For Jon, the top priority was maximizing the amount of usable space, removing anything that made the space feel smaller. "When first approached, the terrace was heavily planted with tall Ilex plants for privacy," he says. These, while effective, limited the terrace's floor plan, reducing the amount of space available.
In removing these, and various other features, including an outdoor shower, Jon was able to build up a generous, open terrace, filled with plenty of spots for lounging and socializing.
Hoping to retain the sense of greenery and privacy offered by the former planting, though in a less obstructive way, Jon says, "The planters have been restored, reduced in size, painted and located against the railing of the terrace, and a belt of an evergreen plant has been installed, creating a soft limitation between the terrace and the city."
4. Urban Living
BEFORE
AFTER
Set behind a new build in East London, with nothing but a pile of rubble, this tiny, urban garden began as a complete blank canvas.
Despite the small proportions, designer Charlotte Rowe's clients had big dreams for the space. "They wanted a breakfast bar, a fireplace with comfortable seating, and an outdoor shower," she says. And somehow, she managed to include all that and more, without ever making the space feel cramped or overwhelmed.
To do this, Charlotte separated the garden into different 'zones', using different levels to create more definition and depth.
"The atmosphere we wanted to create was comfortable and cozy, so we decided to create different ‘zones’ by sinking the outdoor fireplace and daybeds and placing the shower and breakfast on an upper level, which allowed us to create a ‘dance floor’ on the upper level," she explains.
Get the Look
Less labour-intensive than the built-in fireplace in this garden, this firepit table brings the same cozy energy to your outdoor area.
Bar seating is perfect for small gardens, it feels practical and takes up minimal space.
This gorgeous bamboo bench is a brilliant substitute to the built-in design in this garden.
5. Basic to Brilliant
BEFORE
AFTER
Nothing more than a plain, concrete patio and a patch of grass, designer Aly Velji had plenty of room for improvement in his backyard. Despite this, when buying the house, he already had a vision of "transforming the backyard into an extension of our living space," and he did exactly that.
In the new and improved patio, an outdoor fireplace is complete with a sofa set, coffee table, and outdoor rug for a cozy set-up. The lackluster lawn was replaced by sleek pavers, while gravel and a new deck complete the look.
Opting for a more cohesive layout and removing the grass-covered section helped to expand the space, making it feel far larger, while large potted plants retain the greenery previously provided by the lawn.
For more small garden design ideas, designers share ten steps to turn a tiny space into a flourishing oasis.
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