Courtyard gardens — defined as those enclosed on at least three sides by walls – are often the most difficult spaces to get right. They can be dark and damp, tiny and uninviting. But it doesn’t have to be that way. Borrow these ideas that range from inexpensive wall treatments to simple lighting to put your courtyard head and shoulders above the rest. Edgley Design 1. Lighten up for daytime sun. Get right on-trend by copying this great idea to take the walls back to the original plaster and brickwork. Old brickwork can look amazing and is much lighter than you might think, especially if it’s been covered with a layer of render, as in this simple, small courtyard.

You can’t get away from those double-height walls, which could easily be overwhelming. However, by reflecting the natural light off simple white walls and large, pale porcelain tiles, the homeowner has maximized light in this tiny space.

You can repeat this idea easily by choosing paler colors for all your materials and chalky paint colors for your walls. Fisher Tomlin & Bowyer 2. Illuminate for nighttime. A large courtyard can still suffer from very high walls, and this garden — which is enclosed on all sides by two walls and two buildings — has one at the rear, which is slowly being covered with evergreen climbers.

It’s at night, however, when this courtyard comes alive, thanks to some simple rope lights under the wall coping (top layer of the wall), and uplights set into the paving to highlight the cool tones and produce a inviting nighttime mood.

Horizontal lines in the walls and arbor mean the eye is brought down into the space rather than being led up to those tall walls, so think about using this trick to divert the eye when planning your own garden. Red Squirrel Architects 3. Perfect a plant paradise. Big double doors lead out onto this long, narrow courtyard packed with plants. The length of the courtyard is accentuated by “pinching” the access at certain points, so it feels as if the view goes over and under plants and trees to create a plant lover’s paradise.

Larger pots containing trees are placed to the right to create some screening, but also to give a focus from the left-hand windows. The view then carries on down to the extension to create the perfect space for having a coffee.

You can achieve the same effect yourself by using lots of different-size pots containing different plants to take the eye through your courtyard. Chris Dyson Architects 4. Go up the wall. In a courtyard, green walls not only look stunning, they can cover stark surfaces and save on precious space. Having all your plants on the wall means you can keep the floor area for dining and lounging, while still having the benefit of a living garden.

You don’t even have to have an enormous wall like this one; you could easily create much smaller “pictures” of plants within frames. Simple drought-resistant plants, such as sedum, make for easy maintenance as well. JAMIE FALLA ARCHITECTURE 5. Set up a sun trap. We love this totally enclosed space, because the architect has created a sun trap with great old walls and a new glass addition that links two buildings. From the glass room, you look directly onto a raised water feature with a wide surround perfect for informal sitting and great for parties.

If you’re fortunate enough to have a sunny courtyard, do as this garden designer has done and use plants sparingly, but make each one count. Exotic palms and olive trees are ideal for this sort of sun-drenched space. John Davies Landscape 6. Limit your finishes — but vary the way they’re used. This courtyard is all about the view from inside the house. While there are a lot of hard materials here, there’s also consistency, in that just a few different types have been used, and these have been arranged to create different patterns on the floor and walls.

The overall look is completed with a very simple palette of plants used consistently. Try repeating shapes in your own garden to get a rhythm to your planting. The bamboo especially creates a curtain on the boundary, while the evergreen balls add softness. Nash Baker Architects 7. Create a focal point with a large specimen plant. A modern garden with slick paving, topiaries in containers and large green walls is common. However, what sets this courtyard apart is the retention of a large tree that’s become the star of the show.

Just because a space is enclosed doesn’t mean you can’t go large and use a single specimen plant as the focal point of the garden. It will look great in the winter from the house, as well as provide shade and color in the summer. KR Garden Design 8. Keep it from feeling like a corridor. Many courtyards are stopping places on the way to the back door or another part of the house. This garden perfectly illustrates the way in which a central feature, in this case a table and chairs, prevents the space from being a passageway and instead makes it a place to linger.

There are a couple of neat tricks here. The first is the circular layout, which uses layers of raised beds and patterned paving to achieve some focus in the center. The second is that an odd number of chairs has been used to emphasize the focus in the space even more. It’s all finished off with boxwood balls and hydrangeas, which mimic the circular nature of the courtyard. MyLandscapes - Amir Schlezinger 9. Raise the roof. Not all courtyard walls protect from the elements. This garden is built several floors up, so is exposed to the sun and rain. Glass panels provide privacy from prying eyes, and the space is filled with soft, year-round greens in a multitude of different-size planters to create a rhythm and flow.

The big success is the range of evergreen plants with various flowering seasons, making for a long period of interest through the year. Laara Copley-Smith Garden & Landscape Design 10. Incorporate family fun. We tend to think of courtyards as quite formal, adult spaces, but this small garden has a sand pit incorporated into the deck. So while the planter, chairs and statue make for a stylish look, the space is actually all about hanging out with the kids.

When the kids have grown up and tired of playing in the sand, the pit could be converted into a pond or even a fire pit for evening entertaining.

Tell us: What are your tips for creating a welcoming courtyard garden? Share your thoughts in the Comments.