Living easy with courtyards’ return
Original ‘outdoor room’ returns as many crave a connection to nature Sliding doors help to make courtyards more feasible.
The trend toward outdoor living with comfortable, living room-style seating, bright rugs and weatherproof art is bringing new attention to a centuries-old architectural feature: the courtyard.
“It’s the original outdoor room,” said Philip Weddle, principal architect of Weddle Gilmore Black Rock Studio in Scottsdale, Ariz. “Courtyards are as much about enriching the indoor spaces as creating amazing outdoor spaces.
“That blurring of the boundary between indoors and out makes the experience of each space richer.”
Courtyards — a staple in Roman, Middle Eastern and ancient Chinese architecture — are becoming popular in homes throughout North America, builders and architects say.
As they have for centuries, courtyards offer a safe and private area for families and guests to gather and increase a home’s usable space.
Retractable glass walls and sliding doors make them more feasible.
“That technology has really improved over the last decade,” Weddle said. “It really does allow you to open interior space to a courtyard more easily.”
People are accessing that outdoor space to cook, dine, entertain or just relax, Weddle said. He’s designed small courtyards that connect to a master bath and include an outdoor shower. “Courtyards come in all shapes and sizes,” he said.
Builder Nilay Bhatt, president of Dani Homes in Columbus, Ohio, also sees more Midwestern customers choosing courtyards: “It’s an element of outdoor living,” he said.
Homeowners are also creating courtyards in front of houses by adding plantings and paving stones. That can increase curb appeal, reduce the amount of water-guzzling lawn, and showcase a water feature or piece of sculpture, said Tanya Wilson of Bonick Landscaping in Irving, Texas.
Front-yard courtyards can be casual ( benches and gravel walkways) or formal (statues, fancy lighting and fountains). The key, Wilson said, is selecting a look that matches the house’s architecture. And they make sense in neighbourhoods trying to build community, said Tracy Schiefferle, interim director of the Building Industry Association of Central Ohio. They mix well with walking trails, bike paths and other amenities directed at active lifestyles.
“It reflects how people want to be connected to their neighbourhood,” Schiefferle said. “It’s a nice transition from the street to the front door. It can feel more welcoming.”
But the appeal of a courtyard doesn’t stop at the door, said Missy Henriksen, vice-president of public affairs for the National Association of Landscape Professionals in Herndon, Va.
The courtyard’s purpose is to connect the home’s interior with the outdoors, she said. “Most landscape features bring the indoors out. Courtyards are unique in that they flip this idea by instead bringing the outdoors inside the home, allowing the beauty of the courtyard to be seen from several areas of the home.”