Before: Contemporary courtyard garden design — slat screen bench, bowl fountain
After: Contemporary courtyard garden design — slat screen bench, bowl fountain
Before
After

Before photo by Stacy on Unsplash. Garden design generated with AI Garden Design.

Contemporary Courtyard with Slat Screen, Bench & Bowl Fountain

ContemporaryCourtyardslat screen benchbowl fountain2026-05-07
Try This Style

Contemporary courtyard featuring a vine-covered brick wall, horizontal wood slat privacy screen, dark metal bench with cushions, dark grey concrete planters with agave, copper bowl water fountain, festoon string lights, and a stone-edged border.

This is one of 9 contemporary garden designs in the AI Garden Design library and one of 9 courtyard designs. Browse the full gallery or jump straight to more contemporary designs.

What defines a contemporary garden

Contemporary gardens borrow from current architectural trends, mixed materials, bold geometry, and statement lighting, while keeping the planting loose and naturalistic. The result feels designed but never sterile.

Palette

warm grey, black, natural wood, deep green, rust accent

Materials

concrete, corten steel, timber decking, gravel, glass

How to recreate this contemporary courtyard

Mix two or three hardscape materials with intent, concrete with timber decking, gravel with steel edging, a single feature wall in a contrasting finish. Plant in soft drifts of grasses and perennials rather than clipped shapes, so the architecture stays the star. Add one sculptural element: a steel arbour, a stone bench, or a fire bowl on a plinth.

Designing a courtyard

Courtyards trade space for intimacy. The enclosure on multiple sides creates a sheltered microclimate, lets you grow plants that struggle elsewhere, and turns every surface, walls included, into design opportunity.

Plant vertically. Climbers on the walls, espalier fruit trees, and tall narrow planters multiply your planting surface without taking floor space. A single water feature against one wall changes the acoustics, courtyards amplify sound, and trickling water masks neighbour noise. Pale paving and walls bounce light into a space that is often shadier than it looks.

Plants that work in contemporary gardens

A reliable starting palette for this style — full growing guides on each.

Ornamental Grasses — recommended for contemporary gardens

Ornamental Grasses

Various genera

Movement, texture, and year-round interest. Ornamental grasses add a naturalistic, modern element to any garden with minimal care required.

Japanese Maple — recommended for contemporary gardens

Japanese Maple

Acer palmatum

The most elegant small tree for any garden. Japanese maples offer stunning leaf shapes, spectacular fall color, and graceful architectural form.

Boxwood — recommended for contemporary gardens

Boxwood

Buxus

The foundation of formal garden design. Boxwood provides year-round evergreen structure, takes shaping beautifully, and defines spaces with elegant precision.

Succulents — recommended for contemporary gardens

Succulents

Various genera

Living sculptures for modern gardens. Succulents store water in fleshy leaves, creating geometric, colorful arrangements that thrive on neglect.

Lavender — recommended for contemporary gardens

Lavender

Lavandula

The ultimate garden multitasker: fragrant flowers, silvery foliage, drought tolerance, and pollinator appeal. Lavender thrives in poor soil and full sun.

Want this style for your garden?

Upload a photo of your courtyard and get a photorealistic contemporary redesign in under two minutes.

Redesign My Garden

Frequently asked questions

How much does a contemporary courtyard like this cost?

Real-world contemporary courtyard builds vary enormously by region and finish level — budget jobs land around $5,000 to $15,000, mid-range builds with quality hardscape and mature plants sit between $20,000 and $50,000, and full luxury builds with premium materials, lighting, and water features can exceed $100,000. The AI Garden Design redesign itself takes minutes and costs nothing to preview before you commit to a build.

Can I recreate this contemporary design in my own courtyard?

Yes. Upload a photo of your current courtyard and pick the Contemporary style, or use this exact image as a style reference. The AI keeps the structural elements of your space — house, fence, hardscape — and reimagines the planting, furniture, and finishes in the chosen style. You get a photorealistic redesign in under two minutes that you can share with a landscape contractor.

What plants work best in a contemporary garden?

Contemporary gardens lean on a tight, repeated plant palette. The plants suggested on this page — paired with the design tips above — are the reliable starting set. Choose three to five and repeat them in mass rather than mixing many varieties; this is what separates a designed contemporary garden from a busy collector's plot.

More contemporary garden designs

Other gardens in the contemporary style — different spaces, same look.

Contemporary compact brick suburban backyard featuring a brick two-story house with wood pergola, dark grey concrete planters with ornamental grasses and agave, festoon string lights, modern light wood and metal bench, dark grey paver patio, glowing path lights, and a gravel border.

Contemporary Brick Family Backyard with Concrete Planters, Festoon & Paver Patio

Contemporary compact red tile balcony featuring iron railing, dark grey concrete planters with ornamental grasses and agave, festoon string lights, modern light wood and metal bench with cushions, glowing path lights, and a classic apartment city view.

Contemporary Red Tile Balcony with Concrete Planters, Festoon & Modern Bench

Contemporary compact city balcony featuring dark grey concrete planters with ornamental grasses and agave, festoon string lights, modern light wood bench with cushions, slate stepping tiles, glowing path lights, and a glass railing with city skyline view.

Contemporary City Balcony with Concrete Planters, Festoon Lights & Modern Bench

Contemporary white stone traditional backyard featuring a white siding two-story house with stone trim, dark grey concrete planters with ornamental grasses, festoon string lights, modern light wood and metal bench, slate paver path, gravel border, and glowing path lights.

Contemporary White Stone Traditional Backyard with Concrete Planters, Festoon & Modern Bench

Contemporary wooded craftsman backyard featuring a tan two-story craftsman house, dark grey concrete planters with ornamental grasses and agave, festoon string lights, modern light wood and metal bench, slate paver path, gravel border, and glowing path lights.

Contemporary Wooded Craftsman Backyard with Concrete Planters, Festoon Lights & Modern Bench

Contemporary compact backyard featuring a beige two-story house, dark grey concrete planters with ornamental grasses and agave, festoon string lights, modern light wood and metal bench, slate path, gravel border, and glowing path lights.

Contemporary Tan Two-Story Backyard with Concrete Planters, Festoon Lights & Modern Bench

Contemporary suburban front yard featuring a single-story house, dark grey concrete planters with ornamental grasses and agave, festoon string lights, modern wood and metal bench, slate path, gravel border, and glowing path lights.

Contemporary Suburban Ranch Front Yard with Festoon Lights, Concrete Planters & Modern Bench

Contemporary compact backyard featuring a small red barn cottage, dark grey concrete raised planters with ornamental grasses, light wood and metal bench with cushions, polished metal sphere garden art, slate stepping stones, and glowing path lights.

Contemporary Red Barn Cottage Backyard with Grasses, Metal Sphere Art & Slate Path

More courtyard designs

Courtyard designs in different styles — same kind of space, different mood.

Modern courtyard featuring a vine-covered brick wall backdrop, dark wicker sectional, light wood coffee table, slate paver path, dark grey concrete planters with agave, geometric metal sculpture, glowing path lights, and climbing roses.

Modern Courtyard with Brick Wall, Sectional & Agave Planters

Mediterranean courtyard featuring a vine-covered brick wall, central terracotta jar with an olive tree, ferns, lavender in terracotta pots, climbing roses, ornamental grasses, festoon string lights, and a stone-edged border.

Mediterranean Courtyard with Olive Tree Jar, Ferns & Lavender

Japanese-inspired courtyard featuring a vine-covered brick wall, river rock central bed, dark wood bench, stone lantern, bamboo water fountain, ferns, hostas, glazed pots, and glowing path lights.

Japanese Courtyard with River Rock Bed, Stone Lantern & Bamboo Fountain

Tropical courtyard featuring a vine-covered brick wall, terracotta pots with monstera, bromeliads, crotons and bird of paradise, light wood rattan chair, copper path lights, and a stone-edged border.

Tropical Courtyard with Monstera, Bromeliads & Rattan Chair

Enclosed cozy courtyard featuring a central firepit, wicker armchairs with cushions, brick paver flooring, a wooden bench, and terracotta planters with flowers.

Cozy Courtyard with Firepit & Wicker Lounge Chairs

Compact modern courtyard featuring grey pavers with gravel borders, two wooden barrel planters with topiaries, white parasol, and lush green plantings.

Modern Courtyard with Barrel Planters & Grey Pavers

View through a window into a Mediterranean courtyard featuring a circular sand-stone fountain, boxwood spheres, lavender beds, and red Japanese maples.

Mediterranean Courtyard with Circular Fountain & Japanese Maples

Modern courtyard featuring a curved gravel path with stone stepping stones, boxwood topiaries in terracotta pots, two wicker armchairs, white double doors, and ornate lanterns.

Modern Courtyard with Stepping Stones & Boxwood Topiaries

Keep exploring