Living in a small apartment does not mean that you has to sacrifice your dream of having an outdoor space in your living area. Whether you would like to use your tiny patio for having your morning coffee, unwinding in the evening, or to dine on meals during the weekend, your patio can become your favorite outdoor spot for entertaining or simply relaxing with friends and family, even if your patio is as small as a welcome mat. As the person who inhabits the apartment, you are tasked with finding ways to make the most of this space, especially since it could be less than fifty square feet in size.
However, with the proper design for the space, this area can become the better room within your apartment. To create a small patio that you love and feel compelled to use regularly, there is several ideas that you can employ within your creation of the space. These ideas will help you to make the most of the available space, as well as ensure that the patio feels as large as possible for those who enjoy it.
The ten methods that I will describe here will help you transform your concrete slab into your best room in the apartment.
Great Ways to Improve Your Small Patio
1. Use Foldable Furniture for Dining and Working
The first method that you can employ is to consider how to use the floor within the patio as a significant area within your living space. Using a foldable dining table and two foldable stools provides an area for dining or working on your project, but you can store these items against one of the patio wall when not in use.
2. Define Space with an Area Rug
Metal or teak material is the best for this area since they can stand up to the weather, but materials such as particleboard will swell when exposed to the rain. By placing these items in an area such as behind a planter or beside the sliding door, you gain additional space for an area rug. Using an area rug within your patio helps to define the space and provide an area for you to relax without having to walk on the concrete.
3. Implement Vertical Gardening
Using vertical gardening idea within your patio allows your walls to become part of your living space as well. By using pocket planters or cedar trellises on one of your patio walls, you can allow climbing plants such as jasmine, herb, or strawberries to grow on the planter. Using these herbs such as basil allows you to have access to these ingredients without taking up any space within your patio itself.
4. Add Shelving and Layered Lighting
Additionally, placing a few shelf of varying heights allows space for succulents, decorative lantern, or ceramic pots to live within the area. By using green plants within your planter and against the walls, you allow your patio to appear larger. Additionally, ensuring that you provide lighting for your patio will improve the way in which you experience the area throughout the evening.
5. Install String Lights and Solar Lanterns
Using string lights that you hang from the fence or patio allows for lighting without the need for an electrician to visit your home. Additionally, using solar lanterns that you display on one of your shelf or place on the trellis will allow your area to be illuminated after dark while also allowing the lanterns to recharge during the day. Harsh lighting that is directed from above your patio will make your area look like an interrogation room, so opt for using two different type of lighting within your patio that provide different functions to your living area.
6. Use Mirrors to Create Depth
Using mirrors within your patio is another idea that can transform your area, especially if it is small in size. Using a single mirror or a few mirrors that you arrange like a window within your patio will provide a sense of space and make your area seem larger. Additionally, be sure that you arrange the mirror in such a way that it does not reflect another individual’s laundry or trash in there yard.
7. Choose Multi-Purpose Furniture
Using a slim metallic frame for your mirror will provide an element of style within your patio that does not draw attention to your effort to create a larger space within your yard. An additional idea is to utilize furniture that has two purpose within your small patio. For example, an ottoman that has storage underneath allows space for gardening tools, blanket, or additional cushions.
Additionally, a narrow bench that has a lift-up seat allows both the addition of tools to the bench as well as provides an additional area for individuals to dine on snack or meals with their friends. Other items include a wooden crate that you can use as a dining table as well as for placing magazine on the table. Using furniture within the area with a secondary use will allow for you to create a small area that does not appear to be used for mere functionality.
8. Utilize Expansive Colors
Color is another way of making your patio appear larger. For example, painting the fence or the wall within the patio area to a color that makes the space appear larger will allow for your patio to appear more expansive. Using a color like pale sage or warm gray will allow your patio to seem more expansive.
Additionally, bright color can be used for accents within the space, such as plants or cushions. However, if painting is not an allowed use of the patio area, using outdoor fabric or hanging a larger decorative item on the wall will perform the same function without the need for paint. Using rug within your patio area will allow you to define different areas of the space.
Additionally, using a rug that has a low-pile allows the rug to take the wear and tear that your patio may receive daily. Additionally, using a rug that is not too large for your patio will allow the space to feel less enclosed. Using rugs with diagonal lines or stripe will make your area appear larger in depth.
In areas that experience wet weather, using a rug that is lifted off the ground on a deck tile will allow water to drain from the rug, preventing mold from developing on your rug.
9. Incorporate Edible Plants and Herbs
Another idea for enhancing the patio is to include herbs or edible plant within the space. For example, terracotta pots along the fence could contain herbs such as rosemary, thyme, or mint.
Additionally, as these plants tend to be perennial, they will return each year without the need for replanting. Furthermore, if you place a small container plant such as a dwarf tomato or pepper, you can have the ingredient for a salad just steps away from your patio area. This task requires additional watering, but provides another benefit for the patio area that you manage.
Additionally, watering the herb will allow them to be fragrant around the patio area.
10. Add Privacy with Screens or Planters
Finally, there are different option for providing privacy for your patio. For example, instead of using a fence that limits visibility outside of the patio area, you could use bamboo screen or tall narrow planter box that contain grasses.
These options will allow visibility of the outside of your patio while providing some privacy to you and your visitor. In addition, you can use screen on casters to limit outside visibility in specific directions, such as if your patio area is near other visitor’s yards. Additionally, using a screen will allow for additional plant to be used in your patio.
11. Maintain Negative Space
Lastly, leaving space within your patio is another idea to consider. While the temptation might be to place furniture in every corner of your patio, the opposite is true. By utilizing only three or four feature for your patio area, you can provide negative space within your patio that allows you to take a break from any activity within the area.
A single plant, one chair, one table, and a vertical garden could provide all the feature that you need for your space without taking up too much of your living area. Finally, the patio that you create does not need to be compared to patio that you see on Instagram. Instead, your focus should be on creating one of the best patio for your area that you own.
By using any of the idea mentioned here, you can create a small area that you will find yourself returning to whenever you visit your apartment. The best patios are not the biggest in size, but the best patios are the ones that feel most like home to the individual who live in the apartment.
