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A Courtyard is an enclosed space (not necessary with walls) inside the house that is open to sky. Basically, it is void that is infinite from the top i.e. open to sky and brings the outdoor inside.
Courtyards come a long way and has evolved over a period of time. From just being used as an element that caters and reduces the harshness of climatic conditions, now different styles and innovative design has come into pictures that originated in various cities and now are spread worldwide.
Keep on reading to know which style suits your taste the best.
A Courtyard design that brings in nature and the fountain creates the focal point.
1. The Japanese Garden Styled Courtyard
The idea of Japanese garden courtyard style is to create a perfect natural setup by getting inspired by the actual nature. Where the main idea is reducing the scale of the actual natural elements like ocean, mountains, waterfalls, and designing your own space.
Trees that blossom in particular period that brighten up the space with colors are all part of the design. Every element is placed wisely. The space where you cannot use water is actually replaced with the idea of sand with ripples representing water.
It can have both minimalistic approach and be engaging with the end user. The real nature scaled down and awaiting for you to explore. A play of proportions and human scale. All this summed up in an enclosure, Courtyard.
Ripples on sand represent water, the tree blossoms in different seasons providing varied picturesque view
2. The Italian Styled Courtyard
The Italian Courtyard provides warmth, classical ideals of order and beauty. It has more than just landscape and view of the garden. Its main intention is to provide a contemplating place, a place where you can enjoy the sights, sounds and smells of the garden itself.
The idea is to include courtyard into the habitable list where you spend more no. of hours and the courtyard caters the daily function.
The below image clearly shows a warmth space of outdoor dining area merged with the courtyard taking the idea courtyard one step further by turning your courtyard into a habitable space.
An outdoor dining area between the landscape and under the beautiful natural sky.
3. The Mughal Style Courtyard
Inspired by the Persian style, Mughal gardens are a great example of rectilinear layout that depicts the principles of discipline, symmetry & balance. It can be accommodated in your courtyard easily. It also consists of few elements like topiary where the plantation is trimmed in desired shapes and the growth is controlled.
Another element is a water body, which is used for dividing the space within space or can be used to create a focal point like the image above. Even few elements like, The Islamic arches can be incorporated to provide the space the essence of the surrounding structure making the courtyard melt into the surrounding building.
Surely, it is like a beautiful paused history that provides you with physical as well as optical pleasure.
A blend of architecture and landscape, Structure and the open space, courtyard
4. Creating a Drama within The Dramatic Courtyard
Courtyards are the best space to experiment your creativity! Your courtyard can actually be one creative space too, by just having fun with intelligence.
One of the ideas is to break it down into small nooks, where one can be a sit out zone, the other can be a water body where you can actually take an outdoor shower.
The choice of material, colors and pergolas add to the essence of the space creating a drama and transforming your normal courtyard into a dramatic one.
A functional space that turns into an escape and entertaining zone
5. Mini Courtyards For Small Spaces
So you have a small space, where all the area is eaten up by the necessary requirements like the living room, bedroom, kitchen etc. and you are short of adding a contemplating space that bring the outdoor in.
In this case, Instead of providing an accessible and spacious courtyard with sit outs, you can actually provide a courtyard that is capable of bringing in the skylight, green and connects you with the outdoor solving the purpose of small space problems.it is also easy to maintain.
Small but solves a bigger purpose. Increasing the aesthetical beauty of the interiors. Adding it to the beauty, this space can actually be overlooking at the first floor and continue to be open to sky.
Pocket courtyards that bring in the outside
Following were the courtyard styles that by default cater the climatic needs as well as bring in the outdoor leisure inside your home. So go ahead with any one of them, each one has a beautiful time to provide and let you have the best time of your life and just before you go full creative with your space, a complementary example of how interesting a courtyard space can be.
Not a green focused garden but still brings nature indoors and through an interesting way – movement from falling water, sound from hitting the stone floor and upward view to forest
– Ovais Bhati