Take the time to make your yard beautiful this summer.

1. Framed View

Don’t want guests to notice how small your yard is? Make them look somewhere else by literally framing a view! Pergolas, arbors, and even swings are perfect for this task.

2. Snap-Together Deck

Planning a deck or a patio in a small space can be intimidating. What if it doesn’t turn out like you imagined? What if you overshoot and make it so big it swallows the yard? What if if doesn’t fit? Alleviate all those concerns and make building it a cinch with these deck tiles that snap together, don’t require any special tools, and can be reuseed and rearranged until you find the right shape and size for your small backyard.

3. Colorful Accents

Tall walls and fences are a great way of creating privacy in a small yard, but they can also make us feel claustrophobic. Draw the eye and keep things streamlined by using monochrome accents, like this design in a Toronto home.

4. Partially-Walled

Small backyards are most common in areas where houses are close together and property lines bleed together. Delineate your space and create some privacy without feeling closed in by putting up some tall, lovely partial walls that’ll actually make you feel like you have more space— and give you vertical areas to decorate!

5. Completely-Planned

You’ll have noticed by now that most of the ideas on this list involve yards that are meticulously planned. That’s for a reason! A yard feels more spacious when it’s organized instead of left to run wild. Counter-intuitive, but true!

6. Postage Stamp Design

This “postage stamp” design not only makes the most of a small space by creating mini-areas surrounded by lush foliage, but creates a yard that can easily adapt as a family grows up and grows bigger.

7. Multilevel Design

A city backyard feels like an island oasis when you use different levels to create distinct areas and an interesting, dynamic landscape.