Nothing is more relaxing than sitting outside on your patio or deck, enjoying a hot cup of coffee and relaxing. Your outdoor living space might be a place to entertain friends or where you retreat when you feel overwhelmed. It could be where you read a book or explore your gardening passions. Don’t let the lack of space get you down. Let these ideas to maximize your small outdoor living space spur your creativity.
1. Get Vertical with It
It’s easy to feel limited if you only look at the width or length of your outdoor space, but don’t forget the sky’s the limit. Vertical gardening is popular right now for urbanites, and you might be surprised by how many plants you can grow.
Look at using grow bags that hang on a fence or potting towers that allow you to stack planting containers. Try a climbing vine plant, such as pole beans or cucumbers. These plants climb towards the light on any available support, like a trellis, fence, or a wall.
2. Amp Up the Seating
Whether this space is your escape from reality or where you hang with friends, a functional outdoor area needs seating. Don’t limit yourself! Add a single bench with ottomans stools to seat a small crowd. Add outdoor pillows for comfort and fun pops of color.
Porch swings are another favorite, especially if you have kids! Nothing is better than sitting on a swing reading a book.
3. Container Planting is Your Friend
Just because you don’t have a lot of grass or garden beds doesn’t mean your outdoor space can’t be filled with plants. Pick large, colorful plants that will fill your space with excitement. For example, Orlando residents can add crotons that come in gold, red, orange, green, and pink. Crotons are easy to care for shrubs that provide an instant infusion of color.
The bigger the variety, the better! Don’t be afraid to try different types of plants, whether you want a few native grasses or annual flowers.
4. Divide Your Space into Areas
To make the most of your space, divide up your backyard into functional areas. You might have a sitting area, a BBQ pit, small vegetable beds, and a lawn. Each functional area integrates with others to form a useful backyard garden.
You can add some drapes to your sitting area for privacy and a clearer division of space. Line your garden beds with a small border wall.
5. Hide the Storage
If you want to hide pillows, throws, cooking accessories on hand, pick hidden storage. Sheds and large containers take up too much valuable space. Storage ottomans or benches are perfect because the storage is underneath. Grab a grill that has storage shelves underneath of it.
6. Double Duty Furniture
When you’re low on space, one of the wisest investments is to grab furniture that serves more than one purpose. Look at storage containers that also act as seats. Some firepits convert to tables. Stools can also act as tables to hold drinks or potted plants. You want to limit the amount of furniture you add, so everything needs to serve multiple purposes.
