Courtyards are charming little spaces that have a more intimate feel than gardens. A clever courtyard design can make even a smaller space feel special and give it purpose. For those living in a city, a courtyard can provide a much-needed respite from indoor living. For those living in larger homes with larger if not multiple garden spaces, courtyard designs can act as an extra meditative space, or enclosed courtyards can become features in the home.
And courtyards are not limited to those with larger spaces either. There are plenty of townhouse courtyard ideas that can even make an internal courtyard feel open and fresh. Take inspiration from these beautiful courtyard ideas that are full of fantastic designs for those with even a small garden area.
Inspiring courtyard ideas
A terrace home’s paved courtyard garden
In this Victorian terrace, a sunny courtyard garden provides residents with a low-maintenance space to soak up the greenery. Madagascar jasmine climbs the wall, while Michelia champaca trees underplanted with mondo grass provide shade and structure.
Green vine-covered courtyard
In this cosy Binalong cottage, which has been lovingly restored, the leafy, plant-filled courtyard stands out as a highlight and is the perfect place to enjoy a quiet breakfast, lunch or dinner with loved ones.
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Rooftop garden courtyard
A penthouse apartment with views to the Blue Mountains and a lush sky-high garden has become an oasis in the city for its owner. A lushly planted courtyard flows off the bathroom, fit with stepping stones and an outdoor bathtub.
Internal courtyard
Interior designer Sarah Davison’s studio reflects her belief in the life-changing nature of well-designed spaces. A steel-framed glass roof and a large pivot door in the new extension opens to the courtyard garden.
European-inspired courtyard
After working on the farm all day, friends and family often pile in the back of the ute to enjoy a picnic outdoors in the paddock, or this European-inspired outdoor courtyard with ivy-covered walls, at a farmhouse in Boorowa, NSW.
Internal courtyard
City living and outdoor living aren’t mutually exclusive. This cleverly designed courtyard gives its owners all they need to enjoy life outdoors. “It was important to maximise the area we had and create as many layers and textures of lush, loose, leafy garden as we could,” says landscape designer Frances Hale.
Enclosed courtyard
Star jasmine is trained up a grid of stainless-steel wires to soften the surrounding architectural features. “It also makes the courtyard feel more enclosed,” says the designer, Jane Jones of Jane Jones Landscapes.
Decking courtyard with a BBQ area
A courtyard barbecue area essentially extends this renovated worker’s cottage’s kitchen. The greenery makes a beautiful contrast against the black accents.
Formal paved courtyard
An elegant home in Sydney’s eastern suburbs boasts a calming ambience. The paved courtyard is planted with tall conifers and feels wonderfully private and quite European, The fountain contributes to the soothing ambience of the home.
Child-friendly courtyard
The brief to designer Richard Unsworth of Garden Life was to create an entertaining space that would give them a “sense of nature in the city” while providing a safe play area for the owners’ young daughter. The plant palette is a mix of natives and exotics, all hardy and lush and selected to suit the north-facing location, which is exposed to full sun in summer and semi-shade in winter.
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14 captivating internal courtyards
24 small garden design ideas
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9 gorgeous garden edging ideas to bring order to your outdoor space
Zen courtyard garden
This courtyard garden conceived by Matt Cantwell of Secret Gardens delivers an intimate, meditative space. A bed of mixed succulents in the courtyard provides an outlook for a low-set dining room window cut into the wall.
A private and lush courtyard
The outside world disappears in this private courtyard garden of luminous greens and wondrous shapes. On view from every room in the home, the courtyard looks larger than it is thanks to a layered planting scheme of interesting species.
Country-style paved courtyard
Shaded by an arbour covered in climbing wisteria, this paved outdoor courtyard is the perfect place to entertain at any time of day.
What is the difference between a patio and a courtyard?
While patio and courtyard are sometimes used interchangeably, they describe different things. Typically, a patio refers to simply an outdoor area next to a house – picture a paved outdoor dining space or deck – whereas a courtyard is an area that has a feeling of privacy or is physically enclosed.
How to design a good courtyard?
Even on the petite side, a well-designed courtyard combines beauty and function to create a space for memories, laughs and good eats. Here are 5 key tips to help you create the ideal courtyard space:
- Create extra opportunities for greenery by considering climbing plants along the walls or a pergola, if there is space for one.
- Choose a variety of plants so it looks lush year-round.
- Add an opportunity to escape the sun, whether from the leaves of a small tree, vines overhead, or an outdoor umbrella.
- Limit your material palette so the space doesn’t look cluttered.
- Add somewhere to sit and soak it all in – think a built-in bench seat that doubles as storage or a bistro table set.
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