Room to breathe

Make your outdoor space feel bigger by improving its connections to both indoor areas and the wider environment.

- Carol Bucknell.

When your garden is small or simply consists of a balcony, deck or courtyard, increasing its sense of space even a little can make a huge difference. With a few clever touches you can turn these areas into outdoor rooms, essentially extending your interior space, or alternatively, create a lush green oasis that brings more of the outdoors in. After taking a look at what some of the best designers do to maximise the potential of outdoor spaces, we’ve put together these 10 great ideas for you.

1 INSIDE OR OUTSIDE?

Decide first whether you want your garden, courtyard or balcony to connect with the inside of your home, or to its wider outdoor environment. If your neighbours have some established trees, use climbers or lush pot plants to disguise your boundary structures and make it feel as if your garden merges with theirs, and therefore feels larger. If yours is a balcony with an urban outlook, you might go for a clean, no-frills aesthetic so the two are in harmony. Or you might prefer to create a warm, cosy retreat from the world with an outdoor fireplace, candles and comfy sofas.

If you’re more keen on extending your indoor space outwards, link the colours of cushions or chair fabrics to those used in the interior. Blur the lines between indoors and out by placing pot plants inside and soft furnishings outside. Text by Carol Bucknell.

2 LESS IS MORE