Making the Most of Small Outdoor Spaces

By Heather Nette King

Sometimes, deciding how to get the best use from a diminutive space can be trickier than dividing up acreage for use. Often these spaces are the only habitable exterior areas in a home, and the pressure on them to perform a load of functions is extreme. We’ve got some great ideas for making the most of small outdoor spaces.

Foldable & stackable

The best solution for small outdoor areas is to choose furniture pieces that will adapt to the space — like tables and chairs that fold up neatly so you can still place a clothes airer in the sun when required. The Windsor 5 Piece Balcony Set is brilliant for adapting when guests come over, and the stools tuck neatly underneath, saving extra space in between times. Alternatively, choose chairs that can be stacked and stored in between use.

Making the Most of Small Outdoor Spaces with a bar table

Windsor 5 piece balcony set has a handy foldable design to transform from a 2 seater to a 4 seater with ease

Small tables & bench seating

Smaller outside tables — say 4 to 6 seaters — are best in small spaces, and bench seats can be a great way to cram more guests at your table. Small bar-height tables are best when the stools tuck right underneath as a way of space-saving.

Making the Most of Small Outdoor Spaces with bench seating

Compact tables and bench seating like the Cara are ideal for smaller outdoor areas

Hanging storage baskets

Consider hanging chairs as a way of keeping valuable floorspace clear or hanging baskets as a creative outdoor storage solution for garden supplies like hand tools. These would look stunning, and not at all out of place, when interspersed with hanging baskets of tumbling flowers or foliage.

Hanging basket chairs

Another small-space game-changer is hanging pod chairs, like the Maize Hanging Outdoor Basket Chair. It has its own frame, eliminating the need for costly and messy installation, and they are the perfect place to curl up after a meal or for some solo time with a book.

Fairy lights & lanterns

To make a tight space appear larger, draw the eye upwards by hanging lanterns or fairy lights — it’ll add to the ambience too.

Heather Nette King is a Melbourne‑based interiors stylist and writer for many leading interior titles and newspapers. She has been the Melbourne Homes Editor of Sunday Life magazine for over a decade, and her work has appeared in many Australian and international magazines, including Inside Out Magazine, Country Style, Australian House & Garden, Real Living Australia Magazine, Home Beautiful Magazine, Vogue Living, ELLE China, The Design Files and The Interiors Addict. Her own home has appeared in Belle Magazine, and her previous home was featured in the international style bible, ELLE Decoration UK. Heather has created the visual imagery for many well-known Australian brands, and also works behind the scenes copy-writing for their advertisements and websites. Heather is currently renovating her family home in an iconic, heritage‑listed apartment block. Her hobbies are gardening, spending time with her husband and two daughters, and walking her beloved Golden Retriever, Dougal.