“It’s just about finding the right balance to not be cluttered,” says Edward Jones, owner of landscaping company Outside Space NYC.
Here’s how to do a lot with a little.
Before purchasing furniture, planters or other accessories, realistically assess how you will actually use the space. “Many times, [people] “They go to a store, they fall in love with the furniture, they get it, and then they have to deal with the size and it doesn’t fit,” says Tatyana Swift, an architect and designer in Washington, DC.
Think about how long you will spend there and what you will do. Are you planning to host friends? Do you work from the outdoor sofa? Grow your own vegetables? Once you have an idea of what’s most important to you, measure your space and draw a floor plan to scale, advises Jones, keeping in mind how you want to orient furniture, plants or lights. If you’re lacking inspiration, look for photos on Pinterest to get a general idea of the layouts that interest you. “It gives you a sense of direction, an ambiance where [you] will feel happy,” he says.
You might want to host, barbecue, and grow six tomato plants, but try to be selective. Otherwise, you run the risk of creating a space that looks messy and too cluttered to enjoy. “If there are too many different things, it can start to seem overwhelming,” Swift says.
Rather than loading everything at once, start with one or two pieces to anchor the space, then build from there. If entertaining is your main priority, for example, start with a sofa and coffee table. Experience this for a while before determining if anything more is needed. “Maybe you think you want to grill, but then you realize it’s not really necessary or it would look ridiculous,” says Irene Kalina-Jones, a landscaper and Jones’ wife and business partner.
Also helpful in a small footprint: choosing pieces that can be easily rearranged and transported throughout your space (or in a building elevator). You might want to sit with your new furniture for a bit before landing on their permanent arrangement, says Kalina-Jones, and no one wants to drag heavy metal across their concrete floor.
Once you’ve decided on the main function of your patio, you can experiment with decor to make the space more inviting. Swift recommends adding solar lighting, assuming your deck gets direct sunlight during the day. Solar lanterns that can be attached to a wall, string lights that can be wrapped around a ledge, or floor lamps are all options. For more shaded terraces, you can buy rechargeable or cordless outdoor lamps. These solar and battery powered products are best even if you have access to an outlet, as cords and cables will only add clutter and tripping hazards to an already tight space.
Placing an outdoor rug under your furniture will not only add to the visual appeal of your space, it can also make the area more comfortable, says Swift. By tailoring the rug to your home’s taste and decor, the patio can feel more like an extension of your living room, she says, rather than a separate, cramped space. It can also define different uses; for example, a rug under an outdoor sofa can help define this section of a garden or dining area.
Look for rugs specifically designed for outdoors, in a durable material like polypropylene or polyester. After heavy rains, you may want to hang your rug to air dry to prevent mildew buildup.
You can also use planters to break up a compact space, says Jones. Placing one at the end of a sofa can separate a “living room” space (even if it is just one piece of furniture), from a “dining room” space (even if it is not (only a bistro table and two chairs) — as a result, your small patio has two distinct zones. Just make sure your planter isn’t blocking a walkway, he says.
When it comes to using plants for purely decorative purposes, Kalina-Jones recommends larger pots grouped together for a narrow patio, rather than smaller planters scattered around. It may seem counterintuitive to make a small space larger, but doing so will not only make watering easier, but will also give the appearance of a bountiful garden, even with minimal square footage. For the same reason, she advises choosing plants that flower at different times of the year to avoid a sad dead zone. “Be sure to combine plants that bloom at different times of the seasons,” she says. “You don’t want to have a box that only flowers in the spring and nothing happens in the fall.”
Another way to create an “oasis,” she says, is to place a potted tree in a corner. She recommends low-maintenance options with shallow roots, such as Japanese maples and a variety of birches. It can even provide a little shade.
You can also maximize space by growing plants in a vertical tower garden that you’ve built yourself or purchased pre-made. These structures, designed for climbing plants, create a lush ambiance without too much sprawl. Tomatoes are a beginner-friendly option for growing vertically, says Elise Pickett, owner of The Urban Harvest, as long as they get enough sun. Other candidates, edible or not, include peppers, cucumbers, herbs, ivy and climbing roses.
If you have a shadier patio that you’d like to turn into an edible garden, Pickett suggests exploring root vegetables like carrots or radishes, or leafy greens like kale and lettuce, all of which do well in containers. As with furniture, she warns against impulse purchases when going to the baby’s room. Plants require maintenance – and space – so only buy what you can reasonably care for and install.
Colleen Grablick is a writer in DC covering current affairs and casual curiosity.
