Haven’t yet created that backyard dream retreat? Take a few lessons from residents in Venice who took on small spaces in different and creative ways. These five landscapes were among more than 25 properties open for the 2008 Venice Garden & Home Tour.

A shoji-like screen in the front of Dan Seaver’s house creates a sense that you are entering a sanctuary. “The thing about Venice gardens is that most are intimate — a little refuge,” says Seaver, who designed the landscape.

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