11 ways to maximize every square meter of your space

Mark Villanueva Mark Villanueva
abitazione, bbprogetto bbprogetto Minimalist style garden
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Have you ever gone through the walkway around your home and wondered, what can I do with all this extra space? If the area around your house is massive then you wouldn't have a problem. Just plant some trees and create a lush garden landscape. However, that's not always possible. For this ideabook we've collected some great examples of how you can maximize every square meter of your home, including the narrow space between your outdoor walls and your house

1. Seating area

The first home we chose to feature built a cozy sitting nook simply by adjusting the space and creating a lattice roof for shade at the side of the house. Instead of buying tables and chairs the design created a permanent seating area with concrete and topped the floors with some hardwood making the space more functional.

2. Sun-lover's paradise

If you love being out under the sun, you can arrange a small empty space into a mini outdoor garden complete with lawn chairs. Just make sure that your furniture is weather resistant made from either plastic or rattan. Imagine sitting here, with great weather while reading a good book and feeling refreshed by your mini garden.

3. The stairway to the roof deck

Have a wide flat concrete roof? Consider converting it into a relaxing roof deck. While you're at it make the most out of the walkway leading towards the staircase to your new living space by planting a small garden. Take in the scenic views or just grab some fresh air on your new favorite place.

4. A mini waterfall

For people who have the budget but not the space, consider building your own simulated nature habitat. Raising a small area of the space, this homeowner was able to create his own miniature waterfall featuring a small garden, a pagoda and cascading water  flowing into a small pool. It looks like a beautiful Japanese garden scaled down to fit the space.

5. Bike shed

If you love to go cycling, then you'll love this idea. Converting the space into a bike shed, the owner of this home was able to maximize the area. Using recycled materials like wooden pallets, the owner built a small box shed and added some natural elements by converting the top into a mini garden.

6. Go simple with green

Instead of choosing a flooring technician to fill the space of your walkway, opt instead to refresh the area with a small patch of grass. This completely changes the atmosphere of the space between the outdoor walls and the house making it more inviting and comfortable.

7. Shaded outdoor living space

Not a big fan of the sun but still want an outdoor feel? Put a roof over the space and turn it into a shaded outdoor living space. Using wooden battens as shade, to protect against harsh sunlight and mild rain showers but still letting the air flow through the area.

8. Hot tub area

Most of the spare space in this example was used for an outdoor shower area some reclining lounge chairs, a bar countertop and a nice hot tub. The space is also covered by a terrace to provide some shade on a hot sunny day.

9. Simple and affordable

For people who really don't want to spend much on upgrading their spare space, try converting the area into an outdoor living room with a rock garden. Just make sure that the renovation consists of a drain to let the excess water from rains flow out of your space. Then decorate the area with some chairs and bring some natural elements like wood and potted plants. One advantage of this type of space is that it is really easy to maintain while drastically changing the atmosphere of your home.

10. Wood and stone combo

If you are more fond of wooden elements try installing some wooden slats on the outdoor wall. In this example, the designers have decorated the pathway with some wooden floors and some smooth stones creating a sense of harmony in this empty space.

11. Outdoor dining room

Knocking out the whole side wall, this homeowner was able to drastically expand his space by creating an outdoor dining room. Adding some wooden slats to provide shade this space exudes a calm and relaxing atmosphere that you mostly see in resorts. To protect from the rain, you can add a plastic tarp to cover the entire space.

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