Tiny courtyard - paint it gray?

[LiselotteHampton]

Has anyone painted their courtyard gray? We have rendered brick walls which are currently white but last summer it was blinding to spend time there.

It is only approx 16ft x 16ft...so not big, there are light gray limestone flags there at the moment and we're planning to plant everything in pots.

How about putting trellis up the walls (or wires attached to nails) and get some quick growing climbers up it? And or paint one wall a sagey green, or lovely seaside blue, I don't like grey!

I like grey, but grey walls plus grey floor could perhaps be oppressive and cold. Whereabouts are you? We have an unpainted wall which is a sort of greige render and it looks very bleak in cold winter light. Grey might too (although probably not if you're in Cornwall or California).

My neighbour had a tiny courtyard and an artistic relative painted a mural involving painted windows and sea views. It was beautiful and an excellent illusion for increasing the size. You could also do something clever with mirrors (not in direct sunlight!).

I have grey fences, but a bigger garden, and Australian light. Grey is good, but think about what's going in front of it.

Have you thought of mirrors?

Cross-post with artistic genius :o

Or what about terracotta for a more Mediterranean look?

Internally I really like grey but externally it doesn't seem to work. Grey front doors in particular look like undercoat, I always wonder whether people who have spent a fortune on f&b realise that it just looks as if it is waiting for the topcoat! On a grey day and we have lots of those grey walls could look quite depressing. I would go for the trellis idea.

Thanks all. We are going to have trellis too. I thought that black bamboo against the gray wall would look good - but maybe I need to re-think that idea as nobody else seems to think it sound nice.

A friend of mine painted her fences black which I thought sounded vile but actually looked incredible.

Grey doesn't appeal and I had a look on pinterest to see if I'd be wrong about that too but I still think it doesn't work.

I'd probably leave it white but plant a lot. More plants to cover it up :)

liselotte I've had the nicest bamboo for 13 years or so, that has gone happily from London in a pot to Fr. in the garden, it doesn't spread like wildfire either and has all year round colour and interest. It's called Nandina Domestica or Heavenly Bamboo.

Most honeysuckles are quick growing and smell LOVELY !

I think it could be lovely
I love grey and with the right foliage it could look fantastic.
Perhaps some mirrors too

Grey trellace with a white wall sounds nice.