How to make your patio look bigger

If your dreams of a larger garden have been thwarted, don't despair. Find out how to create an optical illusion and your patio will seem like it's doubled in size. Why should the credit crunch cramp your style?

1. Summer breeze
Light and bright is the key to making a space feel more generous so paint your outdoor walls cool colours. This terrace has been cleverly zoned with a dining area (which neatly folds away). Always make sure there's enough room for traffic - health and safety must come first!

2. Seeing double
Mirrors might be the oldest trick in the book, but for good reason. A gothic mirror from Not On The High Street not only has a fairytale appeal but the window illusion expands the length of the garden. To take the idea further, cover an entire wall in a sheet of mirror. It's the latest fad among city slickers.

3. Take to the floor
'Material for a terrace should relate to the house,' says Rosemary Alexander, principal of The English Gardening School. Using the same flooring indoors and out creates the effect of one sleek and continuous surface, enlarging the sense of space. Slate floor tiles from B&Q are ideal for a natural chic look.

4. Going potty
Inject some life into your garden with a colourful planter. Oval Planters from The Conran Shop add a bold dash of blue and double as window boxes if space is short. Hanging baskets and wall-mounted pots are another crafty floor space saver. Co-ordinating colours and shapes in the garden also helps minimise clutter.

5. Wall to wall
Treat patio walls like those you would indoors - as canvases to be decorated. Susan Bradley's strikingly original, laser cut
Outdoor Wallpaper acts as a piece of wall art or a clever alternative to trellising. Make your walls pack a big style punch.

6. Climbing high
Climbers lead the eye upwards, adding a 3D dimension to your patio. Nursery owner Fraser Wescott recommends evergreen plants with year-round appeal like Trachelospermum Jasminodes from Crocus. 'Careful pruning allows the plant to flower yet have adequate rest to maximise the flowering period,' he insists.

7. Create an illusion with light
For interiors, Mark Garside of Livingetc advises, 'Light the furthest wall you see when you enter the room, as lit areas appear further away.' Apply the same rule to patios. A low voltage set of 3 Brighton lights from Garden Trading will throw a moody glow on a wall or trellis.

8. Flexi space
Want to be able to change your patio from alfresco dining room to daytime lounging area at your whim? Choose folding garden furniture, which can be stashed out of sight when not in use. The Tahiti folding garden chair from John Lewis has a locking mechanism to make sure it doesn't fold when drawn forward.

9. Clutter clearing
In general, small areas need more creative organisation. To maximise space in a patio, it's vital to minimise clutter - keep everything in order. Garden shed does not come much more trim than the Midi compact version from B&Q, but it offers ample room for stowing your tools.

10. Water of life
You don't need much space for an attractive water feature which adds energy to an area. This pewter cascading water feature from Littlewoods Direct maximises water's reflective surface and brings some sunlight into your patio.