21 Apartment Patio Ideas to Make Your Outdoor Space Better Than Ever

Whether your apartment has a ground-floor patio, a rooftop bonus area, or a terrace on any floor in between, optimizing it will encourage you to use and enjoy it. From outdoor furniture to lighting, plants, privacy screens, paint, rugs, and decor, there are plenty of simple solutions for spaces of any size or style.

Check out these apartment patio ideas for inspiration on how to make the most of your outdoor space.

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Add Privacy With Planters

Fantastic Frank

If you live in a ground-floor apartment that faces an interior courtyard, create a sense of separation with planters. This small apartment patio from Fantastic Frank has wood decking, a small table and chairs, and a wooden planter with a built-in trellis that provides a bit of privacy and the opportunity for a mini vegetable garden.

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Shade With an Umbrella

Ajai Guyot

Maximize the potential of a rooftop patio by setting up an outdoor living room. Ajai Guyo outfitted this space with a comfortable corner sectional, an acrylic coffee table, an area rug, and a large adjustable umbrella to make it comfortable to use when the sun is high.

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Bring the Indoors Outside

Michelle Boudreau Design

Make a backyard guest apartment patio feel more luxurious by furnishing it to match the indoors. Michelle Boudreau Design decorated this Palm Springs patio with wicker furniture and a palm-print throw pillow to echo the modern boho-style interiors.

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Opt for Portable Furniture

Fantastic Frank

Decorate a garden apartment patio with a small patio set of folding chairs and a table that can be moved indoors during harsh weather or moved out of the way when to keep the space clear for a party. Fantastic Frank chose natural wood to add contrast with painted white planters and concrete tiles.

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Set Up Zones

The Home Consultant

Double the space of a converted garage apartment with a large patio. The Home Consultant used wood decking to match a privacy fence around the yard, and created zones for seating and dining.

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Hang Privacy Curtains

Emily Henderson Design / Photo by Sara Ligorria-Tramp

If your small apartment patio faces the street, hang some outdoor curtains to provide privacy when needed. This small patio from Emily Henderson Design is semi-enclosed with iron bars and equipped with black-and-white-striped curtains for a classic feel.

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Personalize With Color

Dazey Den

If your apartment terrace has solid walls rather than railings that give it the air of a private patio, give it a personal feel with paint. Dazey Den bathed this outdoor space in shades of pink for a bright and cheerful space.

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Choose Smaller Furniture

Caitlin Higgins for Emily Henderson Design / Photo by Sara Liggoria-Tramp

Bring café energy to a narrow apartment patio with a small bistro table and chairs. On this small ground floor space from Caitlin Higgins for Emily Henderson Design, a gold table and triple topiary add an elegant feel, while a gold-framed mirror on the wall doubles the perception of space.

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Create a Dining Area

Fantastic Frank

Make your apartment patio more functional by setting up an outdoor dining area that will encourage you to entertain. This spacious family apartment patio from Fantastic Frank has a wooden table and chairs and a planter with climbing vines to add greenery to the space.

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Hang a Hammock

@ann.living / Instagram

Outfit a private ground floor apartment patio with a slouchy hammock for a laid-back feel. Ann Living added landscape lighting to this fenced-in terrace to make the space usable day or night.

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Mix and Match Furniture

Design by Manscapers / Photo by Dane Tashima

Give your apartment patio an eclectic feel with a mix of furniture and decor. Manscapers landscaped this spacious New York City apartment terrace with a lush mix of plants and flowers, and furnished it with seating and accessories in a mix of colors and patterns for an indoor-outdoor feel.

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Accent With Red

Neva Interior Design / Photo by Agathe Tissier

If your ground-floor apartment has a front patio in a shared courtyard that you don't plan to use as outdoor space, add some curb appeal with colorful planters. Neva Interior Design energized this ground floor apartment entry with mismatched planters in a bold shade of red.

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Add a Privacy Screen

Fantastic Frank

Create an intimate feel on a shared apartment patio with a budget-friendly and sustainable bamboo privacy screen. This serene space from Fantastic Frank has wicker furniture, trailing greenery, and large outdoor string lights to create a cozy atmosphere out of sight of the next door neighbors.

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Use Boho-Style Accessories

Casa Watkins Living

If your apartment patio is a cross between a deck and a balcony that is visible from the street, decorate it with simple bench seating and plenty of plants to make it feel cozy and inviting. Casa Watkins Living added colorful botanical-themed throw pillows and a rug to optimize this boho-style outdoor space.

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Build a DIY Banquette

Blanco Bungalow

Build a DIY banquette that is tailored to the style of your home and the size of your outdoor space. Blanco Bungalow built a stucco corner banquette and set up a portable fire pit to elevate this Southern California space.

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Install an Awning

Dazey Den

A retractable awning is a great solution for small apartment patios, terraces, and balconies. Dazey Den chose an orange-striped awning that echoes the terracotta floor tiles and complements the salmon pink decor.

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Embrace a Luxury Feel

Will Brown Interiors

Elevate a luxury condo patio with decor to match. Will Brown Interiors decorated this spacious apartment patio with comfortable outdoor furniture and structured the seating area with tall planters for a boutique hotel feel.

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Fill Space With Plants

Jenn Pablo Studio

If your apartment patio is more of a pass-through space, use oversized planters to give it a welcoming and polished feel without adding furniture, like this space from Jenn Pablo Studio.

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Plant a Green Screen

Fantastic Frank

For a top floor apartment patio with wide open views that lacks privacy from neighboring buildings, create a living green screen with large solid planters filled with bushy plants, like this rooftop space from Fantastic Frank.

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Set Up a Conversation Area

The Home Consultant

If you live in a top-floor apartment with a private rooftop patio, set up a conversation area to make it entertaining-ready. The Home Consultant staged this roof deck with a matching set of all-white seating around a small coffee table and area rug for an airy feel.

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Install an Outdoor Shower

Fantastic Frank

Tailor your apartment patio decor and features to your lifestyle and location. If your apartment is located near the beach, set up an outdoor shower in the corner, like this space from Fantastic Frank.