This handsome, contemporary city garden in Wandsworth, southwest London, designed by Lilly-Joan Richardson Garden Design and constructed by The Garden Builders, has a bright, polished look that is perfect for both entertainment and family relaxation.

Serving as an outdoor room, the garden extends the property’s living space for al fresco dining or lounging and other family activities.

A predominantly white backdrop and strong, geometric shapes give the garden an elegantly cheerful ambience, accented with structured greenery.

Fibre-glassed planters provide bold blocks of white throughout the room, topped with boxed balls or specimen olive trees. The planting creates dramatic shapes throughout the space, heightening one’s visual pleasure and likewise softening the hard landscaping elements.

The colour scheme is carried onto the painted trellis of horizontally-slatted softwood, with trails of evergreen climbers, Trachelospermum jasminoides.

An artificial plant wall toward the rear of the garden breaks up the white of the adjoining trellis and creates another green focal point.

Supplied by VistaGreen, the green wall adds vibrant texture to the entire space, dotted with dainty snowballs and bursts of contrast colour.

Vertical surfaces are critical for town gardens, where the brief is to maximise space. Artificial green walls are a space-saving, low-maintenance alternative to living walls, ideal for areas with low levels of natural light or where the boundary walls are too fragile or structurally unsound to carry the weight of living plants and soil.

For contemporary rooms, filling out the space with greenery likewise creates a fresh and airy environment and provides an uplifting connection with nature. The white and green palette of this outdoor room also has an energising effect, providing strong colour without being too overpowering.

The rendered wall with mirrored panels serves as the central focal point of the outdoor room. Apart from making the room appear larger, the mirrored panels are an eye-catching, modern element that also frame and reflect views of the garden.

The garden is laid with additional sawn sandstone paving to match the existing paving.

For seating, a polished concrete sofa fitted with wide cushions in a gradating tone provides a cozy space for lounging. A long, concrete table and benches are placed opposite the green wall, serving as the dining area. Wicker chairs add a natural element to the furniture scheme.

Small gardens have some distinct advantages over large gardens. A smaller space means lesser maintenance, doing away with the kind of commitment needed for sizeable properties. A lesser area to cover also translates to a bigger budget for splurging and more flexibility to spend on key features.

Most small gardens today function as outdoor rooms, a popular theme for several years now and a great way to extend living spaces, especially in urban settings where space is at a premium. Doubling as living rooms, dining and entertainment areas or play zones, outdoor rooms bring families together in a relaxing environment.  As living extensions, small gardens can express the homeowners’ personality and tastes. Outdoor rooms also can increase significantly the value of the property.