How to Create a Mexican Hacienda-style Courtyard

Relax in your Mexican-style courtyard.

If you want a rich, inviting look for your courtyard, Mexican-style decor and colors are ideal because they utilize warm earth tones and natural materials. No matter what your budget is for a courtyard overhaul, you can add subtle touches with accessories and plants, or and add natural stone and paint to complete the ambiance. Transform an ordinary courtyard into a vibrant outdoor space for relaxing or entertaining in as little as a weekend's time.

Difficulty:

Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• Paint
• Terra cotta
• Concrete stain
• Ceramic pots
• Plants
• Fountain
• Ceramic accents
• Outdoor furniture
• Fabric
• Lighting

1. Paint the walls within the courtyard with vibrant colors such as yellow, pumpkin, rust, red or green. Use light colors in the courtyard to brighten up the space, or choose darker tones to balance out the amount of sunlight that flows into the area.

2. Cover the courtyard floor with terra cotta tiles, and add colorful Talavera accent tiles to create a border around the courtyard. Stain concrete floors with brown or rust colors to replicate the look of terra cotta if you're on a budget.

3. Place plants in Talavera ceramic pots around the courtyard. Add color to the courtyard with flowers such as Mexican daisy or Mexican bush sage. Plant agave, Mexican fan palms or yucca palms in flowerbeds surrounding the courtyard, or add a trellis with a vibrant flowering vine, such as bougainvillea.

4. Decorate courtyard walls with wrought iron accents, or ceramic sun faces and lizards. Place a stone water fountain in the courtyard to create a relaxing ambiance. Use brightly colored fabrics in red, blue, white, green and yellow to serve as tablecloths, chair cushions or throw pillows on your outdoor furniture.

5. Illuminate the courtyard with wrought iron sconces, chandeliers or candeleros. String twinkling lights over the courtyard to provide extra lighting and create a romantic ambiance.

References

• Hacienda Style; Hacienda Courtyards; Joe and Karen Carr
• Fine Crafts & Imports: Mexican Decor
• Accents of Salado: Spanish Decor
• LandscapingNetwork.com: Mexican Garden Plants
• Fine Crafts & Imports: Mexican Tile, Talavera Tile, Mexican Handmade Talavera Clay Tiles

Resources

• Read this Article in Spanish