10 Tricks to make your small yard look big

If you own a property with a small yard, with a few strategic changes you can create an outdoor retreat you won’t be able to get enough off!  Use these tricks to expand views, hide storage and maximize useable surfaces, so that you’ll get the most out of every centimetre of your yard.

1. Use your side yard

This often-neglected area can be a real asset to a small garden. Use the narrow space to create a sense of arrival to an outdoor lounge and make the garden feel more spacious.

2. Create a hidden element

Add an element of discovery, and a small garden will feel larger than what meets the eye.

3. Borrow views

Taking advantage of views — whether those of a city skyline or neighbouring gardens — can offer big rewards in a small space. Another trick is to use transparent railings, it allows a visitor to look beyond the deck to trees and the surrounding neighbourhood, blurring the lines of where the property ends.

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4. Level up

Taking a few steps up to a platform gives the sense of a journey to a destination and can make two parts of a small garden feel like distinct areas.

5. Create multiple zones

Although it may feel counterintuitive, breaking up a small garden into defined-use spaces will actually make the area feel bigger. An example would be one zone for outdoor dining and the other for relaxing by a fire pit.

Offering multiple attractive areas for the eye to rest makes a space feel larger.

 6. Add a structure

Pergolas and arbors help define an area of the garden for a specific use, such as relaxing in the shade or enjoying a morning cup of coffee. In a small garden, adding a structure creates a different environment in a space that could otherwise feel monotonous.

7. Build the biggest deck possible

Tiny platform decks feel cramped and can make a small space feel even smaller. Make the most of your plot with the largest deck or patio you can fit. To get a bit greener, leave space along the edges of the hardscape to plant vines to cover the fences, and add some big containers with lush foliage.

8. Keep it clean

Simple lines and a tight colour palette make a small space feel more spacious.

9. Dual purpose seats

Installing custom wooden benches with clever hinged seat design will not only provide plenty of seating for garden parties, it will also provide extra storage space.

10. Join the dark side

Painting walls and fences with charcoal colour will help it disappear and trick your eye into expanding the boundaries of a space.

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This article via Houzz does not constitute advice; readers should seek independent and personalised counsel from a trusted adviser that specialises in property, a tax accountant and property design specialist.