Tarrytown Courtyard
A narrow, overlooked side yard between two older Tarrytown homes, reclaimed as a private courtyard the clients now use daily.
At just nine feet wide, the space had been used mainly for trash cans and an air conditioning unit. We relocated the mechanical equipment, screened it behind a cedar slat wall, and paved the courtyard in a running-bond pattern of reclaimed brick that matches the home's original 1930s foundation.
A built-in bench runs the length of one wall beneath a small pergola, planted with a Lady Banks rose that has since grown to shade most of the seating. Boston ferns and cast iron plant fill the shadier corners, chosen for a space that gets less than three hours of direct sun.
The clients use the courtyard as a morning coffee spot and later as a reading nook — proof that a garden doesn't need much square footage to change how a house is used.
Lakeway Retreat
Working With a Small Space?
Some of our favorite projects are under 500 square feet. Size isn't the constraint people assume it is.