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Since many more people are choosing to live in inner-city apartments rather than suburban single dwellings, and avoid the maintenance and upkeep of traditional backyard gardens, it is important to consider how best to utilise the smaller space that is available. And how to ensure that the area is well landscaped and links with the interior living areas.

For such small areas of course it’s not generally cost-effective to employ the services of a professional landscape architect or designer. However by observing a few important principles, you can still create a very effective landscaped area for your courtyard garden that won’t break the bank

One of the most basic design considerations when planning a courtyard garden is to create a thematic link between the interior and exterior. The idea is to break down any barriers which may exist between these two spaces, which then makes the total area appear somewhat larger. The most effective way of achieving this is generally to use similar materials for the flooring in the exterior as you are currently using for the interior.

If your interior floor is solid wood or laminate, possibly one of the easiest solutions for paving the exterior area is to use interlocking decking tiles. These tiles simply snap together over the top of any existing hard surface. With appropriate surface preparation they can also be used over well compacted gravel or sand. One of the big advantages of interlocking deck tiles is that you can move them round and create different designs as you feel like it.

Light colours in the paving and on the courtyard walls will also create an impression of space, so lighter colored tiles would generally be preferable in small spaces.

In compact areas it is always best to maximise the space for use as a seating area or a thoroughfare and restrict the plantings to wide raised beds. You could make a pathway using the decking tiles surrounded by some attractive river pebbles.

You can use a favourite piece of sculpture if you like as a focal point in your courtyard providing the statue or sculpture is consistent in theme with the rest of the landscaping. But avoid filling the area with multiple statues or sculptures. One piece is normally quite sufficient.

Clean simple lines are generally better in small situations rather than a “busy” appearance and a formal look is usually more suitable than an informal look. Several large pots or planter boxes will look less cluttered than numerous small ones.

Avoid using flowers with strong red, yellow or orange colours as they tend to “advance” towards you. Blues, purples and grays are preferable because they are not dominating. And make sure plants are selected for all round appeal and not just for a brief burst of colour for a few weeks, but dull for the rest of the year.

With a bit of planning, even the smallest of areas can be made to look larger than you may think.