Before modern culture took hold of our country, every house in India had a courtyard. Courtyards had great significance in Indian home decor. Courtyards, or angans, are the large spaces in front of a house. It is like a grand entrance to the main rooms of a home. It connects the inside of the house to the outside, allowing the residents to chat with guests, get some sunshine, gaze at the stars, exercise, and more. The good news is this tradition is slowly but steadily gaining attention again. If you too have decided to have a courtyard built in front of your home, or are buying a house that does, then we have some excellent courtyard design inspirations for you.
Trending Courtyard Designs for Small, Large, Modern and Traditional Courtyards
1. Beckon Nature
Nothing heals, calms and soothes like nature. You can bring the lushness of the wild into your home with your favourite trees, flower shrubs, botanical design rugs, stone benches, etc. If you have a small space, you can go for a single tree and a pond with water flowing into it from a trough. Decorate the pond with pebbles and see your tiny courtyard space transform into a calming green retreat. There is no limit to the experimentations when it comes to nature-themed courtyard designs.
2. Your Personal Botanical Garden
If you don’t like the lushness and wildness of a natural forest, but enjoy the well-maintained greenery of a garden, then this courtyard design idea should appeal to you. Fill your courtyard with a wide variety of flowers and green plants. Add a soothing finishing touch with a fountain in the middle. We bet neither you nor your guests, would want to leave the serenity of the courtyard, ever.
3. Simple Style
If simplicity as a theme entices you, then here is a minimal courtyard design idea for you. Place a table with beach chairs or park style benches at the centre or one corner. Complete the look with old-style lanterns or scented candles. You could also decorate your courtyard with a few flower plants, and a coffee table and chair. Remember, going simple doesn’t mean you fill up the courtyard with simple looking furniture and accessories. It is more about letting it be the way it is, with very few additions for comfort.
4. Calming Aura
Do you want your courtyard to give off a spiritual vibe? Then dress it in all white or nude tones. Place a Banyan, Peepal, or any tree of your liking in the middle of the courtyard, surrounded by a platform or without it. Sit under the tree and meditate like a real monk. For a livelier effect, add a statue of a peaceful figure such as Lord Buddha. Install a water body for that rich calming effect on your senses.
5. Cosy Corner
A courtyard is known for its largeness and openness, but if you lack much space there, it can be made into a corner where you can comfortably spend your me-time. Decorate the courtyard with a cute coffee table and a compact bookshelf. A small space shouldn’t restrict your design ideas. You can create your perfectly cosy courtyard like the one shown in the image.
6. Bridge It!
One of the most unique and beautiful courtyard design ideas is to add a pool in the centre with a bridge over it, connecting one part of your house to the other. You can choose whether to build the bridge in the middle, or on the side. It’s an amazingly serene feeling as you walk on the bridge over the water. You can make the bridge wide enough to house plants, pebbles, and other decoratives.
7. A Lazy Man’s Hangout
If you love lazing around, or find it hard to relax amid your tight daily schedule, you should definitely try this design for your courtyard. Place stress-relieving plants around the middle and sides of your courtyard. In one corner, install two pillars or two trees and tie a hammock in between them. Lie down on the hammock and gaze into the sky or your beautiful surroundings, and make your breaks rejuvenating.
8. Embark on a Journey Every Day
For travel enthusiasts, we say, focus more on the design of the floor of your courtyard. Let it resemble the ground of a forest, or the beachside, or a combination of grass and concrete. Or build a sleek bridge accentuated by large pebbles and soft lighting in the grass. Design the courtyard with everything that gives a vibe that is different from your city or country, so that it makes you feel you have travelled to a different place each time you enter it.
Slow the pace, escape the hustle and bustle of your busy city life, and boost creativity and productivity by spending time in your courtyard decorated in one of the above ways. HomeLane is the place where you can make each one of your interior dreams come true. We create and inspire you to create great-looking, highly comfortable, and functional courtyards and other parts of your home interiors. Register on our site and book a free consultation with our expert designers online today.
