Small Space, Big Impact: Small Garden Ideas & Inspiration

A perfect example of how to maximise space in a small contemporary garden, featuring our Sandy White Porcelain. By using a pale cream colour for the low-maintenance patio paving, this design cleverly provides the homeowner with a space that can be adapted to accommodate entertaining and relaxing. Although lighter paving will generally attract more dirt than darker alternatives, porcelain is manufactured to have extremely low porosity, meaning once washed with the right cleaner, it will retain its 'just laid' looks for years.

When thinking about ideas for your small garden, utilising the vertical aspects of your space is crucial. In this garden, a living wall has been installed on the back boundary, inviting all-important nature into the setting. Trailing plants will add scent and colour, and soften the overall aesthetic, despite the space feeling like a modern European courtyard.

Dark-coloured fencing is complemented by a focal crimson red acer, planted in a stylish garden planter, while architectural grasses further soften the area, as well as introducing a relaxing sound when swaying in the breeze. Built-in corner seating adds a convenient, yet stylish feature, which adds to the indoors-outdoors feel of this contemporary outdoor room.

A jewel of a small London garden, which highlights the importance of solid working relationships between designer, landscaper, end client, and supplier. Designed by Alladio Sims, London Stone supplied bespoke-cut Trendy Black and Urban Grey Porcelain from the Luxury Italian range to this stunning contemporary space, which was then installed with precision by Ed Davies Design. The design of the paving combines curved edges to accommodate a sense of movement through the garden, with shards of grey triangular paving added throughout. A dramatic, almost theatrical look has been achieved, with sunlight and shade mirroring the shapes of the paving at certain times of the day.

This garden has an arty feel, with the gorgeous blue feature wall at the back, bringing a sense of the indoors outside, while olive trees provide height, dappled shade, and a natural barrier between the dining area at the front of the garden, and the cosy space at the back: perfect for enjoying an aperitif, or getting lost in a good book. A predominantly green colour palette within the soft landscaping allows the hard-landscaping elements even greater prominence, creating a truly unique courtyard garden.

This construction of this garden won a coveted, and well-deserved Association of Professional Landscapers Award in 2021, for a garden project worth £20,000 - £35,000.

This typically-sized North London garden is a treasure trove of design features. Florence Grey Porcelain, from our ever-popular Premium Italian Range, gives the garden a sense of serenity and grounding, which is complemented perfectly by colourful garden furniture and gorgeous soft landscaping.

By choosing a more neutral paving colour, the garden's highlights are allowed to shine, like the beautiful Magnolia tree, planted towards the centre point of the whole garden. The garden is clearly defined into three areas: a terrace at the front for dining and entertaining, a lawned middle section, and a reflective retreat at the garden's end. Using defined areas in a modest-sized space creates a feeling of fluidity and scale, which is key when designing smaller gardens.

The pathway connecting the two paved areas is cleverly delineated with alternating gravel and turf infills, which invite the softness of the lawn into the hard landscaping. A luscious green colour palette, including Asplenium and Pittosporum, is punctuated with splashes of white and cream by way of Japanese Anemone and Hydrangea. A trailing vine adds a softness and much-needed shade to the timber pergola at the end of the garden, making the space all the more inviting.

A Mediterranean-inspired garden in the heart of Salisbury, featuring our Trendy Black Porcelain paving. This multi-levelled garden combines the charcoal-grey colours of our Italian porcelain with rendered walls and cedar fencing and copings on top of the retaining walls, which double as focal planters, complete with olive trees, offering shade to the seating area.

The porcelain paving brings a contemporary feel to the space - laying paving slabs in a consistent size is synonymous with modern paving materials like porcelain and smooth sandstone - and the steps are finished with a sleek 5mm pencil round edge with no overhang, continuing the sense of modernity. Grouting, which is a near colour-match to the paving, is also a contemporary touch, as it makes the paving appear continuous, and less of a feature.

This small garden provides the homeowner with a low-maintenance space in which to enjoy long evenings spent with friends and family, with stylish built-in seating for further convenience. Splashes of white and purple have been added with potted Agapanthus, which thrive in sunny areas.