Thoughtful, well planned landscape design for your outdoor areas and gardens is a wonderful way to enhance your quality of living, as well as the value of your home.

But what if your outdoor space is a small courtyard? What would Sydney landscape designers do when faced with the challenge of turning an impossibly small outdoor area into a garden oasis?

Making Your Space Feel Bigger

• If possible, divide your outdoor space into two separate areas or ‘rooms.’ This will break up your garden and make it feel much more spacious. Connect your two areas using elements like pathways or bridges.

• If you have a garden that is long or narrow, consider placing bright colours at your garden entrance. This will attract the eye, produce depth and create the impression that your garden is much bigger than it really is.

• Many landscape architects and designers recommend choosing lighter colours (like whites, beiges) for walls, fences and paving. This reflects light and makes your outdoor space feel brighter and therefore bigger.

• Paving or ground cover that features geometric patterns or that is one single hue will also make your space appear larger, and add much texture and depth. Grass or turf can work too, but keep in mind that it requires extra maintenance.

Designing Your Landscape

• Plan and design your space using a pencil and paper before you start buying or digging up the ground. This will give you a clear idea of what will/won’t work in your garden and what elements you will need to bring your landscape to life.

• If you want to design your landscape as an entertainment area, choose an outdoor piece or setting (e.g. table, bench) and make this the central feature of your space. You can then design your other elements around this.

• Utilise walls and fences to create various focal points throughout the garden. You can install wall planters, water features, lights, fireplaces and other elements to suit your theme and style.

• Use tall trees or climbing vines to build your garden upwards and create a sense of height. This will encapsulate your space to make it feel bigger, as well as more secluded and private.

• If you want a consistent garden throughout the year, choose evergreen plants and trees. Punctuate with flowering plant and tree varieties for seasonal colour.

• If there isn’t much room for trees or shrubs (e.g. on a veranda), use potted plants. You can then move the plants around to experiment with your design or change the feel of your space.

Lighting Your Space

• If you find that trees, vines or fences block out much-needed natural light, create gaps or spaces in your designs to let the light through.

• At night, light the central and other focal points of your yard. Include lights at the farthest points in the space to generate more depth and space.

• Remember, you don’t have to stick with traditional lighting. You can use lights placed in water or even candles and fire ornaments to create light.

About Us

Living Colour Landscapes is all about creating inspirational garden designs. Our Sydney-based landscape designers can help you transform any outdoor space, whether you own a garden, a patio, a veranda or a rooftop space.