How to Design an Interior Courtyard

Courtyards are welcoming and relaxing places where guests can sit, read and enjoy each other's company. Many courtyards are outdoors, but they don't have to be. An interior courtyard is an effective way of filling space that is otherwise undeveloped and unused. Designing an interior courtyard is a creative endeavor, where the end result improves your home's or business's appearance. The designing process requires a lot of planning and coordination.

Things You'll Need

• Tape measure
• Notepad
• Digital camera

Instructions

1. Talk to a professional builder about an interior courtyard so any renovations needed fall within the laws or local building code. This helps you know how much freedom you have to alter the space.

2. Measure the size of the courtyard with a tape measure. Every decision you make will be based on the size of space you have available to you.

3. Examine the power options in the courtyard area to know how many outlets you have and how much power the room is capable of handling safely. This tells you if indoor fountains, extra lighting and other devices that need electricity are realistic for the space.

4. Look at any windows and skylights in the courtyard area to determine how much natural sunlight comes in during the day. It will be more challenging to decorate the courtyard with natural plants if sunlight is not available to them. If there isn't sunlight coming in, you'll need artificial lighting and you have the option of using artificial plants.

5. Sketch possible furniture and decoration configurations onto a notepad. Outline the shape of the room on the paper first, and then experiment with benches, chairs, indoor fountains and plants to see what looks good on paper. Draw items as close to scale as possible to make your designs more realistic.

6. Visit furniture stores, greenhouses and flooring companies to examine various options for the courtyard floor, furniture and possible plant life. Measure and take pictures with a digital camera of everything that interests you, so you can mix and match photos to see how items look together.

7. Add up the cost of items that you want to use in the courtyard to decide if it falls within budget. If not, you'll need to make compromises to get the budget back in check.

8. Order the items you need for the courtyard once you're sure you know what you need.

Tips & Warnings

• Paint the courtyard and get any new flooring installed prior to the delivery of any furniture or plants when actually setting up the courtyard. This makes the process more efficient with less need to keep moving items in and out of the room.

References

• Home Designing: Courtyard Design and Landscaping Ideas
• Service Magic: Create Outdoor Spaces Inside Your Home With an Interior Courtyard