Living inside out- The magic of courtyards

Swapnil Kangankar- Homify Swapnil Kangankar- Homify
家族を守るコートハウス, かんばら設計室 かんばら設計室 Jardins ecléticos
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Often described as an open to sky area enclosed by the living areas of the house, courtyards have been one of the most critical elements of tropical architecture. Courtyards are essentially the part of nature that we borrow from our surroundings in an attempt to experience the various elements of nature while being in the comfortable confines of our house. Courtyards range from being extensively large and adorned with exotic plantations to a simple barely maintained patch of land within the confines of a house.

Modern day courtyards usually feature wooden decking, water bodies, and play areas, etc. all as per the desires of the users. Let's take a look at few such modern day courtyards which are sure to inspire you for your dream house.

Series of courtyards

This house is designed in a way that it has multiple courtyards which are interconnected to each other by enclosed corridors. The architects have taken the opportunity to design each courtyard slightly different to the other. One of the courtyards is provided with wooden decking which can be used as an extension of the living room while the other has a manicured lawn, ideal to be used as a play area.

Exploring textures

A large part of this courtyard is adorned with pebble stones which provide an inexpensive but highly creative finish while the remaining smaller part is kept undisturbed in order to allow vegetation growth. This way the architects have achieved a beautiful combination of two natural textures within the same courtyard space.

Open to sky play area

The courtyard is designed to be utilized for a variety of functions. The simple clay tiles provide a nice surface ideal for a kid's play area or for having long family dinners. The plain surface also allows for easy maintenance since water can be conveniently drained out through the rainwater trap provided at the edge of the courtyard. By choosing red colored tiles, the architects have ensured a charming color palette of green, red and white to add on to the aesthetics of the house.

Minimal sophistication

This minimalist house has a courtyard which is mainly designed to be enjoyed from within. Unlike a usual courtyard, this courtyard is totally covered with plantation, leaving hardly any space for other activities. Apart from providing a visual delight from the living room, the courtyard also allows in diffused sunlight to add a beautiful charm to entire space.

Courtyard as a buffer

This courtyard is unusual in a way that it is not enclosed with living spaces, but with living space on one end and the boundary wall on the other. Courtyards of this kind are usually designed for houses situated along the edge of streets. Apart from providing an extension of living spaces into the manicured lawns, such courtyards also act as buffers that keep away the traffic noise as well as in certain cases harsh sunlight from entering into the living spaces.

Pool inside the house

This house has a pool within its boundaries which is different from houses that typically have pools outside their plinth area. This way the user is offered more privacy but perhaps the most awesome part is the beautiful water body view that the users get to enjoy from thier living and dining areas.

Courtyard as a transition space

This courtyard acts more like a transition space than a real courtyard. In spite of the limited area that was available to design the house, the architects have ensured that the users get their own mini-courtyard sufficient enough to accommodate lounge chairs for an evening coffee. 

Extension of the living room

This courtyard is essentially the living room spilling out in the open. The floor finish for the indoors as well as the exteriors is kept relatively similar in order to create an illusion of the indoors merging seamlessly with the outdoors. The architects have further emboldened this feature by designing windows on three sides of the courtyard with a view of enhancing the visual connections between the interiors and the exteriors.

Multilevel courtyard

This courtyard belongs to a two-storeyed apartment with its central tree being big enough to reach the upper floor of the house. A courtyard in a such a house not only benefits the lower levels but the upper levels are also equally benefitted with the light and ventilation that the courtyard has to offer. Beyond the natural elements, a courtyard in such a setting also allows for a visual connection between the lower and upper levels, a feature which makes living in the house all the more interesting. 

An extended dining area

This courtyard is basically developed to act as an extension of the large dining table. We can only imagine how lively this place would get during festive gatherings with children running around and families having extended dinner and drinks on the dining table as well as on the beautiful lawn space.

To provide security, the large window opening is installed with collapsible wooden doors which can be neatly folded and concealed between the niche of the exterior and the interior walls.

Nature at work

The study room of this house is developed around the courtyard with a view of benefitting from the large swathes of natural light the courtyard has to offer. Apart from this, the courtyard provides the users with a soothing view of the outside green scape, a feature which goes a long way in improving focus and reducing stress levels while at work. In order to manage excessive sunlight or heavy downpours, the house is also equipped with automated roller blinds that can be operated as per the convenience of the users.

We loved exploring these amazing courtyard houses, if you enjoyed it too, we highly recommend you to check 13 ways to use concrete in your garden

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