How to Design a Small Garden: Layout & Ideas
A small garden can work incredibly well when the layout is carefully considered.
Because there is less space every element matters, where you sit, what you see from inside the house, how much privacy you have, where the planting goes and how the different areas connect.
The aim is not necessarily to make a small garden look bigger. It is to make the space feel well designed, comfortable and enjoyable to use.
Start With How You Want to Use the Garden
Decide what you actually want from the space
Before thinking about paving or planting, think about what you actually want from the garden.
For some people, that means a generous dining area close to the kitchen. For others, it might be somewhere more relaxed to sit in the evening, space for children, a garden room or simply a beautiful planted garden to look out onto from the house.
A simple layout with a few well designed areas will usually work much better than trying to include too much.
Think About the View from the House
Design for what you see from inside
This is particularly important in a small garden because you often see almost the entire garden from the kitchen or living space.
The garden should feel connected to the house rather than like a separate space beyond the back door.
The position of patios, planting, trees and other features can all be used to create a view from inside the house and draw the eye into the garden.
Create Privacy
Screening that adds height and greenery
Privacy is one of the biggest considerations in many small Dublin gardens.
Neighbouring houses, upstairs windows and surrounding boundaries can all make a garden feel overlooked.
Trees, hedging and pleached trees can provide screening while also bringing height and greenery into the garden. Planting around the boundaries helps soften fences and walls so they become less noticeable.
Keep the Layout Simple
Clear and uncomplicated works best
Small gardens usually benefit from a clear, uncomplicated layout.
The shape of the garden does not always have to dictate the design. Changing the direction of paving, introducing offset lines or positioning a feature away from the centre can make a narrow or rectangular garden more interesting.
If you want more inspiration for a compact space, see our full list of small garden design ideas for Irish homes, covering layouts, seating, planting and storage solutions that make the most of limited space.
Use Planting to Shape the Space
Trees, hedging and generous beds
In a small garden, planting can do much more than simply soften the edges.
Trees, hedging and generous beds can help define different areas, create privacy, frame views from the house and give the garden a stronger sense of depth.
Planting beds should be given enough room to have real impact.
Using fewer plant varieties in larger groups can also help the garden feel calmer and more cohesive.
Choose Materials Carefully
A simple palette creates a calmer space
There are fewer elements in a small garden so the materials you choose are particularly noticeable.
Keeping the palette relatively simple usually creates a calmer space.
Using the same or complementary materials between the house and garden can also strengthen the connection between indoors and outdoors.
Make Practical Features Part of the Design
Storage, sheds, bins and access
Storage, sheds, bins and access still have to work in a small garden.
Rather than treating these as an afterthought, they should be considered from the beginning.
A shed can be positioned amongst planting, bin storage can be screened and paths can be designed so practical access does not dominate the garden.
A Small Garden Does Not Have to Feel Small
Decide what matters and get the proportions right
Good small garden design is not about squeezing as much as possible into the available space.
It is about deciding what matters, getting the proportions right and using planting, materials and privacy screening to create a garden that feels comfortable and connected to the house.
Get Small Garden Design Advice
Tell us about your garden and how you'd like to use it. One of our Senior Designers will meet you on site to assess the space and talk through your options.
