Can you still create a luxury backyard when you don’t have a huge property?
Absolutely. We’ve designed smaller yards with pools, outdoor kitchens, fire features, places to entertain, and plenty of landscaping. The challenge is figuring out what makes sense for the amount of space you have and how to fit those things together without making the yard feel crowded.
Architectural Digest recently asked three design firms how they would approach smaller outdoor spaces. Nate Fox shared how we would design a quarter-acre backyard with many of the same features our clients ask for on much larger properties.
Read the full article on Architectural Digest
About the Feature
A quarter-acre might sound like plenty of room. But once you add a pool, outdoor kitchen, sunken conversation area, places to lounge, privacy, shade, and landscaping, that space fills up pretty quickly.
For our Architectural Digest concept, we wanted to show how much you can fit into a smaller yard without making it feel like you tried to fit everything into it.
Foxterra’s Perspective
We design plenty of smaller yards where our clients still want a pool, outdoor kitchen, fire feature, places to entertain, landscaping, and everything else they would want if they had twice as much room.
You don’t necessarily have to give those things up. You might just have to rethink them.
Maybe the pool gets a little smaller so there’s more room to entertain. Maybe built-in seating makes more sense than leaving room for a lot of furniture. Or maybe you don’t need a large covered patio because there are better ways to add shade without taking up as much space.
Scale matters too. Just because a large pool or patio technically fits doesn’t mean it’s the right size for the property.
With a smaller yard, we spend a lot of time looking at those tradeoffs. Sometimes giving up a few feet in one area gives you a lot more room for something your family will use every day.
About Foxterra
Foxterra is a luxury outdoor design studio specializing in immersive backyard environments that blend architecture, landscape, and outdoor living. The firm creates custom outdoor spaces throughout the United States, with projects ranging from modern pool environments to resort-inspired entertainment destinations.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you have a pool in a small backyard?
Absolutely. The important part is getting the size and placement right. A slightly smaller pool can leave more room for seating, landscaping, entertaining, or other things you want to include in the yard.
How do you make the most of a small backyard?
Think about what your family will actually use most. From there, look at where features can share space, where built-in elements might help, and whether adjusting the size of one feature could give you more usable room somewhere else.
Does a small backyard need fewer features?
Not necessarily. A smaller yard can still include a lot. The size, scale, and placement of those features become especially important when you have less room to work with.
Behind The Article
Nate Fox
Designer
Nate Fox helps shape Foxterra's creative vision, blending architectural detail with a designer's eye for proportion and flow. His work redefines the backyard as an extension of modern luxury living.
For this story, Nate shares how Foxterra approaches smaller properties, from getting the scale right to fitting more of what a family wants into a limited amount of space.
Ready to Transform your yard?
Whether you’re planning a fire feature, pool environment, outdoor kitchen, or complete backyard transformation, Foxterra helps homeowners visualize what’s possible before construction begins.
