How to Make Your Patio More Private
Everyone needs a secluded sanctuary to relax and escape from the rest of the world. A cozy alcove for coffee and catching up on email is essential in an exterior space. Unfortunately, residential homes tend to be built very close to one another and it’s easy enough to eavesdrop or peek at neighbors from second-story windows.
Imagine instead a special spot to enjoy a little peace and quiet, and perhaps escape into a book or scroll social media outdoors surrounded by nature without worrying about prying eyes. If you need some inspiration to block out light, nosy neighbors, or obnoxious noise, the blog below has got you covered on ways to make your patio more private.
Frequently Asked Questions About Making Your Patio More Private
Grow a living wall or green barrier. Use ornamental grasses, hedges, or fast-growing trees like Emerald Green Thuja, Poplars, Cypresses, or Willow hybrids. Train vines on supports, or hang floating/window-box planters overhead for an elevated green screen. It’s organic coverage that also softens noise and views.
Use fences, partitions, or screens. Dress up a wire/wood fence with repurposed shutters or salvage blinds as hanging screens. Choose stationary space dividers for permanent solutions or portable privacy screens (rice paper, wooden grids, or modern metal railings) for flexible coverage where you need it.
Add a solitude structure. Install a pergola and finish it with outdoor drapery, furniture, rugs, and lighting to form a hideaway or hosting hub. No space for a pergola? Affix flowing fabric to a balcony overhang to scale up and make the area feel intimate.
Use trellises, planter walls, or slatted panels. Try a trellis with threaded vines, a pocket/planter wall with shelves, or semi-permanent lattice and slatted walls. These interrupt views, add height and texture, and let sunlight filter through for an airy, private retreat.
Go vertical and overhead. Hang window-box planters or floating planter walls above railings to lift greenery off the floor. Light fabric from the overhang creates the sense of higher ceilings and extra privacy without crowding precious square footage.
Mask sound with water or chimes. Introduce white noise: tabletop fountains, a tempered-glass water wall, or a professionally installed pond with waterfall. For a budget option, add wind chimes. Natural soundscapes keep conversations closer to the cuff and the mood serene.
Yes—layer greenery, panels, and sound. Combine hedges or vines with lattice/slatted walls, and add a pergola with drapery for visual seclusion. Finish with a fountain or chimes to soften noise. Layering creates a balanced, secluded sanctuary that still feels bright and open.
Living Wall Landscapes
Greenery is a great opaque option for an organic barrier between your backyard and whatever you are trying to block out. Depending on your capacity for gardening and landscaping, there are a few different varieties of privacy plants that are perfect for over-exposed patios and decks. Growing waist-high ornamental grass is a good start. Fast-growing trees like Emerald Green Thuja, Poplars, Cypresses, or Willow hybrids can line your hidden haven. Hedges require a bit more manicuring, but it’s worth the work for the isolation that they allow. Build a bamboo buffer or a boundary of bushes for a beautifully bright green noise barrier and to boost your backyard privacy. Use vibrant vines and climbing flowering plants to take your seclusion solutions to higher heights. An alternative to elevate and innovate would be a floating planter wall. A few window box planters hung overhead can be used for growing your favorite herbs or low-maintenance succulents.
Partition Panels
August Wilson wrote, “Some people build fences to keep people out and other people build fences to keep people in.” Whether you are trying to keep nosy neighbors out or create a safe space for your family and friends, a privacy fence might be the most traditional formal barrier. For the DIYers, dress up a wire or wooden fence with repurposed shutters to reduce, reuse and recycle. Other upcycling options are using salvage pieces like wooden blinds to make hanging screens. Stationary screens or space dividers are reserved for those that need a permanent privacy resolution, but you could also purchase privacy screens as portable partitions. Rice paper screens or wooden privacy grids are nice natural options compared to more modern movable metal screens or railings. Freestanding screens offer functionality and flexibility if you just need to carve out a corner to create a small secluded space to relax and enjoy the outdoors.
Solitude Structures
If you are struggling to find a space to sit in stillness or connect over conversation with like-minded individuals, then a solitude structure might be your solution. Patio pergolas are increasing in popularity. If you have the space, outfit your pergola with outdoor drapery for a billowing barrier. Complete with patio furniture and other outdoor accessories like rugs and outdoor lighting to have your hideout haven or entertainment hub. If there’s no place for a pergola perhaps, you play with scale by affixing flowing fabric to balcony overhang. Create the look of soaring ceilings and carry up the color of your outdoor décor to make the space more intimate. Try a trellis to take things vertical with threaded vines or containers of climbers. A feature wall such as a pocket garden or planter wall with shelves is another way to add ample seclusion. For semi-permanent privacy use lattice panels or a slatted wall. Let light shine thru the slits and interrupt sight lines with intricate visual designs reserved for remote respite.
Sound Seclusion
Sometimes it’s not so much about keeping your neighbor’s eyes from prying but their ears as well. If you have ear hustlers in your hood, then maybe it’s best you self-contain with sound. The sound of running water is a great way of adding white noise to a patio (Just listen below!).
Drown out sound with outdoor accessories like a fountain feature or tailor-made tempered glass water wall. If you have more coins to play with, invest in a professionally installed pond plus waterfall. Adding windchimes as white noise would be a more practical and penny-wise approach to withdraw. Keep conversations close to the cuff when you use natural sounds to get a bit of backyard privacy.
