Upscale Prison Courtyard...

You say minimalist I say...prison yard. If that were my space I'd be rocking a bunch of clematis/ morning glory/ potato vine/ANYTHING on a bunch of trellises so fast it'd make your head spin...

And for some reason the wooden bench doesn't look ok. It would be ok for indoors, but I don't think it's weatherproof.

Looks sad....

I have worked in a prison for 14 years. It looks like a prison courtyard -- as seen on TV. Nevertheless it is more outdoor space than some people have. If they like it--I love it.

You people have obviously never seen a real prison courtyard. Nor do you have any idea of what the story is behind this place. It was very cheap housing with a very restrictive co-op board. The 'patio' was all of 30 square feet, at the most. Behind the patio is an alleyway that saw weekly delivery trucks for the Wendy's down the block, as well as the f**ker who broke into our apartment and stole our laptops.

I built the wooden bench, and it was coated with three layers of marine varnish. It survived two years of Vancouver (BC) rain and snow just fine, and now lives in a different apartment.

Some people adore brutalist architecture, but I've never seen the appeal.

I think it's lovely. It reminds me of benches in a park behind a building of some sort. The tables are the same used for outdoor seating at Mixt Greens in San Francisco. The plant is fine, the planter pot not so much.

It's not that the space is too small its that the planters are too small for the space.

It seems pretty zen. I like the metal table, it fits well in the space besides being good for outdoor weather. I just am not a fan of leaving the decorative wrapping on plants. But that's just me being nit-pickey :)

We are all different...I like the wooden bench, but not the metal table. I think the wood and the plants soften the concrete. I have seen apartments like this and one needs to do some softening. Space in many cities is at a premium and one must make the best of whatever they have.

@richardwinchell: Don't be all angry dude. Also I have seen a prison yard. When I was in prison.

very nice bench... nice, simple design. i might lift it. make it out of richlite and it'd last forever.

...maybe with some plants to cover those walls it could be nicer...

Love the horizontal of the concrete wall and how the bench reflects that. Being in NYC, I'd love an outdoor space of my own like this. Someone mentioned Zen and it made me think that grey pea gravel would be cool covering the ground. I like the texture and the sound.

Don't get discouraged by the comments, most on AT, it seems, aren't fond of minimal, industrial or neutral.

I have nothing against minimalism and in fact find it very appealing. But this little patio doesn't look at all comfortable to use. The bench is handsome but if you sit on it your back would be against the completely vertical wall. The bench isn't deep enough so that you could slouch.

Minimalism and brutalism can provide for human comfort without sacrificing principles of stlye.

This just looks like some pieces stuck out there to keep it from being totally empty.

To me, it is a little grim. But if it made them happy and let them use their outdoor space, it served its purpose.

It's interesting to me to read a post about a place I've actually spent time in. Danielle just posted a couple of pictures she found on Flickr without any idea of what the space actually is. If you have minimal resources and severe restrictions with what you can do to your outside space, you just do the best you can to make your space livable. This patio is super tiny, and the bench against the back wall actually allows you to view a little greenery and see into the apartment and any other people there. It perfectly serves it's purpose. I read a lot of posts here and there are lot of things that I don't like, but I would never post rude comments about them. Let's just all try to be considerate of one another.