Whether you are tending tomatoes on the balcony, cooking pizzas on a rooftop or lingering over candlelit dinners in a tiny courtyard, small spaces can feel every bit as generous as the grandest garden with some creative planning. With thoughtful zoning, clever planting and multifunctional furniture, even the tiniest urban oasis can deliver maximum impact.
Zone and furnish wisely
“Creating different zones and utilising modular and multifunctional furniture are two main ways to help enhance and maximise your outdoor living area,” says Dominic Harrison, designer at King Living. The 1977 outdoor sofa (from £290, kingliving.co.uk), is designed to adapt as your needs change, with removable covers and separate pieces that you can scale up and down. Layering seating with ottomans or benches that double as side tables also helps maximise every inch. Dunelm’s Amazonia set comes with a sofa, two chairs and a table and looks ideal for lounging (£699, dunelm.com).
Ikea’s Sundsö table is perfect for balconies as it can be folded away (£40, ikea.com). It comes in seven different colours, including bright yellow, and there are matching folding chairs too (£25, ikea.com). Layering an outdoor rug beneath furniture helps define different areas. The Anywhere Ca-rPET herringbone Re-flect rug by Alternative Flooring (from £56.74 per square metre, alternativeflooring.com) introduces texture while being practical enough for unpredictable weather.
Be bold with colour
Richer, playful colours lift even the smallest spaces. “Garden furniture in statement shades is gaining popularity as people increasingly see their outdoor spaces as extensions of their homes,” says Magdalena Gierasinska, head of product and displays at Barker and Stonehouse. “This works especially well in small gardens, where colourful, petite side tables or coffee tables add a small yet powerful dose of drama.” A piece such as the Rico round garden coffee table (£355, barkerandstonehouse.co.uk) becomes a focal point without overwhelming the space. For the chicest of side tables, the Dayton from Soho Home’s new outdoor collection has a clover-shaped top and is crafted from reinforced concrete in rich maroon (from £421, sohohome.com).
How about popping these pieces next to bespoke banquette seating from Colours of Arley, which transforms awkward corners into fun dining nooks (coloursofarley.com)? You can pick your stripe combination and choose fabric that is specifically for exterior use. It would look fabulous with a multi stripe awning from Primrose (from £154.99, primrose-awnings.co.uk). Raj Tent Club’s multicolour parasol will also jazz up proceedings (£249, rajtentclubshop.com).
Plant upwards
Vertical planting, shelving and compact greenhouses all help maximise growing potential without sacrificing floor space. The Rhino patio greenhouse slots neatly into balconies, roof terraces and courtyards. Measuring two by four feet, it features sliding doors, flexible shelving and automatic roof ventilation, making it equally suited to first-time growers and seasoned gardeners. The Tuscan Olive colour caught my eye (£1,574, rhinogreenhouses.co.uk). Pair architectural planting with sculptural containers for extra impact. The Eli Ficonstone indoor/outdoor planters (from £39.95, westelm.co.uk), have clean contemporary lines, while Mackenzie-Childs’s Rosy Check It Out planters (£215 for a set of two, mackenzie-childs.co.uk), introduce a playful flourish. Nina Campbell’s Petit Parterre vase (from £105, ninacampbell.com) is also a sweet choice.
Get ready to host
Compact cooking appliances prove that you do not need acres of garden to become an outdoor host. For pizza lovers, Gozney’s new Arc Lite delivers professional-quality cooking. Lightweight and purpose-built for balconies, rooftops and smaller gardens, it reaches impressive temperatures while taking up minimal room (£349.99, gozney.com). If your weekends regularly involve picnics, beaches or camping adventures, the Gozney Tread takes things one step further. Designed to travel, this rugged portable pizza oven heats to 500C in about 15 minutes and packs away quickly, making it equally at home on a city roof terrace or coastal escape (£499.99, gozney.com).
Serve up in style
The Hackney Draper’s enamel crockery (from £17, thehackneydraper.co.uk) would jazz up a balcony breakfast table, while Jonathan Adler’s Como salad servers (£83, heals.com) will give your lettuce a lift. Layered lighting and music help keep the atmosphere going long after sunset. The Loewe we. HEAR Pro portable speaker combines 24-hour battery life with premium sound and looks the part (£249, loewe.tv), while the sculptural Blossom lamps by Original BTC (from £525, originalbtc.com), double as a beautiful design object by day. Weave in Graham & Green festoon lights for romance (£78, grahamandgreen.co.uk).
