The owners of this small Remuera garden came to us keen to refresh their courtyard and create a dog-friendly space. The courtyard already had great bones and lots of character to work with, and the original tiles, while a bit uneven, were still in excellent condition.

 

Given the challenge of access to the back of the house, removing and replacing the tiles or excavating would have been incredibly costly, so we decided to uplift the tiles to even out the ground level and re-lay them with a fresh coat of paint. To create interest, we made green planting spaces around the courtyards.

To keep their canine companion contained, we fenced the entire courtyard with timber slats for a fresh, modern look, and we cladded the stairs to create cohesion between the deck and fences.

 

We then had lots of fun creating interest in the space, with the giant corner pot making a focal point and a great view from inside the house. We also added matching planters around the rest of the garden and created a vertical green wall next to the washing line to tie the whole space together.