Every house can benefit from blending with nature, and in the current urban environment, there’s no better way to achieve this than with internal gardens for modern Indian homes. Besides adding a stunning feature to the interiors of the house, an interior courtyard garden provides a relaxing retreat where one can refresh one’s energy amid the soothing greenery. In modern Indian homes, it’s easy to incorporate an internal garden seamlessly with the help of glass walls, sliding doors and retractable ceilings.

For houses, if one wants specific designs such as interior courtyard designs – Kerala style, with a traditional courtyard around which all the rooms of the house wrap, it’s essential to incorporate it into the model at the time of planning the house. Of course, it’s possible to install simple indoor gardens even in small apartments.

It’s always advisable to consult a professional to get more ideas on what can be done to optimise the garden area within the limited space. Today, we present some fabulous indoor garden ideas that can be perfectly adapted to suit any modern house or apartment in India. These include extensive courtyard gardens as well as simple Japanese indoor garden designs, depending on the available space as well as the budget.

Simple internal gardens for modern Indian homes

The most straightforward idea for an indoor garden design in India is to have a low-maintenance rock garden with hardy plants that don’t require much care. All you need is a small area, either off the living area or a bedroom, where rocks and plants can be artistically arranged to create a lovely green patch. Ideally, glass windows or a sliding door should allow you to view the garden from within the room to bring in the freshness of the garden into the home’s interiors.

Another idea is to have a Japanese indoor garden design with pebbles, a bamboo plant and a small fountain that not only don’t require much space but also are cost effective and easy to maintain. A Japanese garden is minimalist in nature, making it the perfect internal garden for a modern home.

Green walls or vertical gardens are a new trend in Indian homes as they only require a bit of wall space to bring greenery into any room. These gardens are also relatively maintenance-free if they come with automated-watering systems.

Modern courtyard designs in homes in India

While many old bungalows in India have a traditional courtyard in the centre, often with a water feature or a tree, modern apartments have an insufficient area within to incorporate a large courtyard. A smart solution is to create small interior courtyard designs, with artificial grass, potted plants and even a customised water feature in a corner. Adding artwork and sculptures on the wall as well as seating can convert the area into a cosy space where your family will love to relax in the evenings or early mornings.

The design can be implemented even in a balcony or terrace adjoining the living room by using sliding glass doors to separate the areas without blocking the views of the garden.

Large interior courtyard gardens

When thinking of internal gardens for modern Indian homes, one of the most common designs that come to mind is the traditional central courtyard, like the ones seen in old houses in Kerala. While it might seem like the design won’t suit a modern style home, one can adapt it by using the square or rectangular well in the centre with a glass roof overhead to protect it against the natural elements. In a modern house, using French doors or picture windows that frame the views of the courtyard from within the home can make it appear that the greenery is an extension of the room, adding a calming touch to the ambience.

One can carry through certain traditional elements in the interior courtyard garden by planting a large tree or installing a pond with floating flowers in the centre of the courtyard. Some pieces of traditional furniture such as a simple wooden swing can look just as good even in a modern house. To keep the area maintenance-free paving blocks of concrete or cement can replace a lawn. Planters with trellises can hold creepers or climbing vines that spread along the walls to add to the greenery.

Sustainable ideas for internal gardens for modern Indian homes

For homeowners who value sustainability when building a home, one of the best ideas is to retain the existing trees on the plot of land and design the house around it. Imagine having a tall tree with its branches running through several rooms in the house! You can extend the idea by enclosing the tree within glass walls to create an internal garden with pebbles and potted plants. This type of interior courtyard garden design not only adds a unique feature to the house but also allows nature to thrive amid the construction as the glass doesn’t block the sunlight, thereby allowing the tree to grow well.

Internal garden designs that optimise space

Since space is limited in most modern Indian homes, it’s an excellent idea to identify dead spaces that can be converted into a lovely internal garden. Usually, the entrance corridor or the stairwell are common areas where space gets wasted. By designing the area to incorporate an interior courtyard garden one can enjoy the benefit of having a splash of green inside the home.

It doesn’t take much to build an internal garden under the atrium at the entrance or beneath the staircase. All you need is a few planters, pebble borders and niches or shelves on which more potted plants can be placed. Of course, you can take it a step further by creating layers such as a water feature with floating lotuses or koi fish and covering it with glass tiles to make a stunning entrance for the home.

While it isn’t impossible to create internal gardens for modern Indian homes, it’s essential to design the space so that you get the most out of it. It’s advisable to consult a landscape architect or professional who has the knowledge and experience to suggest the best elements that can be a part of the interior garden in your home.