Stay-at-home orders may have made it painfully obvious that your backyard is just too small. However, bigger isn’t always better! Small backyards can become extraordinary spaces that maximize every inch and check every box on your must-have list. All it takes is a little creativity. Here are our landscape design tips for small Lebanon, PA backyards this summer.
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Identify Your Needs
Embrace your backyard’s diminutive size! Transform it into a secret garden; an exclusive hideaway; or a zen space that’s just right for unplugging from the world. First, decide what is most important to you and to your family and organize your space around those must-have activities. If you have kids, keep in mind that kid-friendly backyards can grow with them (for example, a sandbox can become a raised bed planter down the road); you can plan ahead and design their play spaces so that they can easily be repurposed as the kids grow.
Use Optical Illusions
Make a small space feel larger with clever placement of focal points and the use of design elements that fool the eye. Straight lines make a space feel smaller because your eye “zooms” down a line that comes to an abrupt halt. By contrast, a curve encourages the eye to linger in the space. A curved or circular patio, a winding path, or a curved retaining wall keeps the eye happily engaged in the space. And, use straight lines advantageously. For example, a fountain can be placed fairly centrally in a backyard. The straight path that leads to it stops at the fountain which leaves the illusion of space behind the fountain - thus making the backyard feel more spacious.
Privacy
Privacy can make a tiny backyard absolutely magical. But don’t limit yourself to an ordinary privacy fence, or your backyard might feel like a kid’s terrarium in a cardboard box. Use fences or walls with more dimension: bamboo fencing, masonry pillars that break up a wooden wall, or a living wall. Create a chic getaway with a series of water walls: vertical fountains that pump water to the top where it flows gently down a tempered glass, metal, or masonry surface to a catch basin below. This is a beautiful way to enclose a space while adding the relaxing sounds of running water!
Less Is More
Conventional wisdom says that furniture size should match the size of the space. This isn’t necessarily true, because having a lot of small pieces quickly clutters the space and makes it feel cramped. Less is more! Choose a few large pieces that you will actually use (like two comfy outdoor couches instead of several lounge chairs) to pare your backyard down to the essentials without sacrificing comfort, while maintaining elbow room.
Location, Location, Location
Place large elements wisely, making use of corners. Tuck a tall fireplace into a corner, with a seating area that fans out into the backyard; an outdoor kitchen can still be the hub of outdoor living if it’s positioned in a corner where it doesn’t “eat up” the whole backyard. By putting it in a corner, your outdoor kitchen can be larger than if you were to put it in the middle of the space.
Minimize Grass
Grass is great but it takes away space from outdoor living. Instead, save the grass for the front yard and fill your backyard with elements you actually use, like a series of smaller paver patios divided by plantings.
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