Rooms

• When you are designing a small yard to include patches of lawn, imagine the yard as one or more rooms. This principle will help you organize and separate areas. If you have a covered patio, for example, an area adjacent to the outdoor dining or seating area can be designed as one distinct outdoor room with a mat of grass on the ground, stepping stones or a border around it, a small retaining wall or bench and taller plants and grasses bordering the lawn. If more space is available, beyond the bordering taller plants or shrubs you might design another small grassy area with a potting bench or bird bath as its primary feature.
  
  

Focal Point

• Another design principle is to have the small lawn area act as a frame around a focal point. As you look over existing features such as pathways and walkways in comparison to available space for lawn, imagine what might capture attention and provide a centerpiece for the small lawn area. In some desert areas, for example, a snippet of lawn punctuated with a small grouping of palm trees can turn a drab space into a dramatic one. A small but colorful tree such as a bottlebrush may also lend interest. Garden art in the form of a metal sculpture, tall ceramic pots or artful trellises may add a focal point.
  
  

Proportion

• When space is minimal, a sense of proportion can enhance the appearance of the yard. Compare the size of the house and walls to the size of the yard where you intend to grow grass. If both are small, make the proportions of plantings near the lawn small rather than imposing. If the house is tall and the yard tiny, vary the sizes of plants near the lawn, such as with a row of flowers close to a walkway, a few tufts of taller grasses to add some height, a raised mound with shrubs planted, and a narrow tree with an interestingly textured trunk can visually tie house and yard together.
  
  

Variety

• Use repetition of plants such as annual flowers to provide a cohesive appearance, and then punctuate them with grasses planted behind or with a few interspersed contrasting color plants such as ornamental cabbage. Vary height as well by including a range of heights for plants or ornaments in the yard. In some small yards, especially where water conservation is important, groupings of boulders, creating a stream bed design from river rock, and a small bridge over the mock river can add variety and interest and also accentuate the beauty of a small green lawn.