Open to the sky but enclosed for privacy, a courtyard garden provides a peaceful, secluded spot in your outdoor room for quiet relaxation, intimate conversation, or private dining. Most courtyards are defined as gardens or outdoor spaces that are partly or fully enclosed by buildings or walls, but they can also be an in-between space that merges the indoors with the out.
Whether an open garden, balcony, side yard, or small patio, the possibilities for adding a courtyard garden or patio to your landscape are limitless. Find inspiration for your own backyard sanctuary with these gorgeous courtyard designs.
Elegant Walkway Courtyard Garden
You can make the smallest of spaces into an inviting courtyard garden, as this picture illustrates. The simple, yet elegant courtyard garden serves as a beautiful transition space between the indoor and outdoor living rooms. Water calmly flows through a runnel that evolves into the backyard’s perimeter-overflow pool, establishing a tranquil harmony throughout the property. The perfectly-spaced plantings and dramatic lighting set the stage for the stunning desert oasis awaiting on the other side of the arched bridge.
View more photos of this stylish Las Vegas outdoor living space designed and built by Anthony & Sylvan Pools >>
Formal Front Courtyard Garden with Fountain
A courtyard in the front of your home is a great way to welcome guests. Front courtyard and garden designs often use fountains and sculptures to create a striking center focal point.
Right: A gorgeous tiered mosaic fountain makes an exquisite focal point in this home’s formal front courtyard. The fountain’s interior purple slate tiles mirror the home’s irregular mansard roof while the water reflects the vivid green hedges that border the courtyard.
Photo courtesy of Platinum Poolcare, Ltd., Wheeling, IL; Outvision Photography
Small Courtyard Patio
Easily accessible from the main living room or master bedroom, a small patio courtyard offers an outdoor nook for a breath of fresh air or private conversation.
Left: This Spanish-Mediterranean courtyard is located at the end of a long open breezeway. The soothing sound of the water feature and comfortable chairs make this intimate area a pleasant spot to enjoy the outdoors.
Photo courtesy of Urban Landscape Design & Construction
Charming Courtyard Corridor
Sometimes a courtyard is a non-descript open space that functions more as a passageway than a destination or resting place.
Even so, guests are sure to stop and stare when you fill the space with beautiful plants, flowers, and garden decor. Take a moment to enjoy the scenery.
Left: An attractive planter fountain and colorful climbing vines add texture and rhythm to this courtyard corridor, transforming it into a charming common area.
The fountain’s serene trickle creates an attention-getting detail that draws onlookers from inside the home out onto the balcony and invites passers-by to stop awhile and enjoy its calming beauty.
Photo courtesy of Urban Landscape Design & Construction
Cozy Covered Patio
Though typically unroofed, a covered courtyard provides pleasant shade on a hot, sunny day as well as shelter from a summer rain shower. It also alters the courtyard into a seamless indoor/outdoor living space.
Right: This partly enclosed courtyard features a wooden roof overhang but remains open on two sides, allowing a cool breeze to pass through. The addition of a custom stone fireplace, recessed ceiling heaters, and ceiling fan enhances the courtyard’s comfort and livability from one season to the next.
Photo courtesy of Urban Landscape Design & Construction
Central Courtyard with Wall Garden
A central courtyard is often created in luxury backyards with an open garden design to establish a common connection and flow among the various outdoor living, dining, and entertaining areas.
Left: Two covered patios (one houses an outdoor kitchen and dining area; the other serves as an outdoor living and entertainment room) flow into an open courtyard, where a colorful wall garden and bench seating make the area a comfortable (and beautiful) resting place.
A living work of art, the wall garden features an elegant arrangement of grasses, ferns, and flowers in a selection of green and lavender hues.
The wall’s organic, wavy pattern is chicly offset by the bench’s conservative black and white stripe cushion. The use of built-in bench seating complements the wall garden, allowing full view of its lovely design from anywhere in the yard, and welcomes guests to take a seat and delight in its pleasant aromas.
Photos courtesy of Urban Landscape Design & Construction
Front Courtyard Patio
A courtyard patio design can turn a large front yard into a more functional and private outdoor space.
Left: Blending comfort and style, this contemporary front courtyard patio establishes a fluent design from the home’s entrance to the backyard living space.
A three-sided negative-edge water fountain serves as one of the privacy walls—and a conversation starter. A mix of shrubs and grass-divided stepping-stone pavers help soften the courtyard’s polished look while a couple oversize patio chairs give the area a more warm and inviting feel.
Photo courtesy of Urban Landscape Design & Construction
Courtyard Pool
When a courtyard is surrounded by the home on three sides, a courtyard swimming pool is often the perfect centerpiece.
Left: This geometric courtyard pool can be viewed and accessed from all of the main interior rooms, yet still contains an element of privacy.
Photo courtesy of Baker Pools, Jenks, OK, an Aquatech builder
