Small Patio Garden

Our client bought a new-build town house in the city centre, which comes with a very small patio. It spans the width of the kitchen at the back of the house, measuring 5.60m wide but is only 2.55m long.

The patio is fully enclosed by fences on all sides. The floor was paved with concrete slabs, with all kinds of weeds growing through and around it. It looked very uninspiring. The patio is also visible from the front door as you enter the house.

Our client wanted to turn the dull patio into a patio garden, and we knew we had to make it look stunning.

When designing any outdoor spaces, especially when it is this small, it is important to consider not just its external surrounding, but also the design of the room that leads onto it. In this case it is the kitchen. The patio essentially becomes part of the kitchen that it is attached to.

Choose 3 main colours to use in the patio garden design and stick to them. We opted for the beautiful cedar wood panels for the fence and bench, artificial green wall panels and a muted grey outdoor dining set.

The colours, although understated, tone very well with the furniture in the kitchen and creates harmony throughout.

Artificial plants can look beautiful in any garden. However, a beautiful garden would instantly be let down by the appearance of low quality, faded and fake looking artificial plants, which are not difficult to spot.

For this patio garden, our client prefers low maintenance artificial planting. When choosing to use artificial plants outdoor, consider buying the best quality products which not only look realistic, but can withstand strong UV rays, wind, rain, frost and are fire retardant.

We sourced the artificial green wall panels from our trusted supplier. They have proven to withstand harsh weather conditions and still look good after years of being exposed to the elements.

Getting the lighting right in a patio garden can transform the space, especially when the garden is small. It adds an element of drama and an extra layer of interest to the otherwise minimalistic setting.

Before installing any lighting outdoor, check your surroundings to see how the lights could affect neighbouring properties close by.

For this property, we chose to install three down lights on the back wall, rather than up-and-down lights or uplighters, so that the flats behind the garden and the immediate neighbours to the left and right will not be disturbed by any upward shining rays. We also added dimmable mood lighting under the bench for a cosy effect.