Everyone who lives in town has always dreamed of having a small private garden next to their home, a space where they can relax and recharge their batteries after a long, stressful working day. Large spaces are not necessary; even a small rectangular garden can be transformed into an oasis of relaxation and enjoyment.
A great deal of thought must be put into the choice of functions for inclusion in the space available. Do you want a garden for relaxation and home gardening? Or a garden where you can dine with your family and friends? Do you prefer a wellbeing oasis with pool or hot tub? For every function the spaces, the paving, the vertical walls and the areas of shade must be designed with care.
If you wish to make optimal use of a small outdoor area in town, the best advice is to think about how to subdivide the spaces. The right paving will identify the various functional zones – dining, kitchen and relaxation area – which can be alternated or combined with areas of greenery and shade. The paving can also create delightful paths through green areas.
The boundaries of your small town garden can be defined with low-maintenance, tough vertical screens – such as hedges and trees – to protect your privacy and provide cool, natural shade, or you may decide to make use of the garden’s perimeter walls, with climbing plant systems, or bookcases and shelving to optimise the space available.
For open air cooking, it is a good idea to allocate a specific area to the barbecue or outdoor kitchen, separate from the rest of the garden, to keep fumes or excess heat away from the other functional areas. Easy-clean anti-slip surfaces are ideal for zones where food residues may accidentally be dropped or spilt.
For full enjoyment of a small town garden, areas of shade with pergolas and sun umbrellas help to provide the essential features for relaxation. Zones should be carefully proportioned to ensure balance between the various parts.
The paving of a small private garden must have precise technological characteristics. Outdoor porcelain stoneware guarantees excellent performances in terms of resistance to frost and deep abrasion, anti-slip properties and easy care.
The stoneware surfaces that imitate natural stone in the Realstone_Pietrantica collection are elegant in their simplicity, and should be used in contrast with very modern, colorful furnishings.
To decorate the dining area like a Mediterranean courtyard, the SOL and CONTRASTI collections offer medium and small size tiles, for creating an urban garden with the color and patterns of the Mediterranean.
For a super-practical parquet effect for the relaxation zone, we recommend the WOODSHAPE collection, which simulates the planks and vein patterns of wood for a country chic mood.
Urban jungle, Provençal country or Nordic style, contemporary minimalist: whatever style you choose for your small modern garden, you will find inputs and ideas to be copied everywhere. Be aware of the importance of outdoor furniture, which is vital for setting the style you wish to create.
Outdoor furniture transforms a small open air space into a room of the home, available for everyday living. Dining tables and stacking chairs, sofas and deckchairs, hammocks and free-standing armchairs, sun umbrellas and pergolas: it is essential always to opt for materials suitable for outdoor use and with removable cushions and upholstery. The chosen furniture will feature against the backdrop of the plants and greenery you have chosen for your modern urban garden.
It is important always to strike the right balance between plants in the ground and those in pots: custom-designed vases and flower tubs help to define a small garden’s style more clearly. Fruit trees give fragrance, flavour and natural shade to the urban outdoors, climbing plants redefine vertical spaces, and herbs transform even the smallest areas into vegetable plots.
