Any outdoor space in the city, no matter how small, is a precious thing.
“In New York City, if you’re fortunate enough to actually have a terrace or a patio, you’re one of the lucky few,” said Keita Turner, an interior designer based in Manhattan. “Anytime you have something like that, it should be an extension of your home.”
In other words, you owe it to yourself to make the most of it — even if it’s tiny, awkwardly shaped or hemmed in by other buildings.
“We actually prefer smaller, more intimate spaces,” said Kat Bell, who runs the Los Angeles-based firm Argyle Design with her husband, James Drew. “With massive backyards, we end up creating these intimate moments anyway, because it’s nice when there are different destinations within the backyard.”
Here’s how she and other designers make the smallest outdoor spaces sing.
Keep It Simple
If you hope to equip a tiny space for cooking, dining, sunbathing, games and reading, it’s unlikely that it will do any one of those things very well.
“When you have a small space, don’t try to do too much,” said Jarema Osofsky, a partner at the landscape design firm Dirt Queen NYC. “Focus on how you want to actually use the space, and really commit to that.”
