How do I make the most of this small yard?

What Zone are you in?

http://planthardiness.ars.usda.gov/PHZMWeb/

Do you want an outdoor kitchen, or just a grill pad? I see you have a cute doggie, do you want a dog run area or at least a small patch of grass to roll around in? Any children?

Was there a pergola over the glass doors? I see metal saddles on the concrete and wondered if you took something down or are building a pergola. First on the landscaping, research what plants will live in your zone. Then map out your yard marking where there is full sun and where there is shade. Decide if you want plants that require a lot of maintenance or plants that require little care. Go to a local nursery and write down which plants you like, making note of spacing, care, full sun or shade etc. most important is to know how big they grow to at maturity. Then measure your space for the mature size plants. It is important to figure in winter interest if you have cold winters where plants die then. Evergreens such as pine, boxwood, holly if they are for your zone would be the first thing to place on your diagram. These also give you the winter interest. A rule of thumb is that 50% of landscaping should be evergreen plants, 25% deciduous, and the balance perrienials and annual. This of course is not a must, as each zone has requirements that may not work with this idea. I place the large trees and shrubs on paper and fill in with perrienials. I generally put annuals in pots to accent areas. Keep in mind to select plants with different blooming times so you can have color in al seasons. One last thing is to think about a color scheme. There are no perfect rules and just trust what appeals to you. Enjoy the process and you could do a little each year. As for the barbecue area the area where the saddles are would be a good place to build a counter and area to put grill. Hope this helps.

Thanks for the ideas. This will surely help. We are in the process of adding the pergola. That was a window and we replaced it with the slider and added the concrete pad.

I would go to a local garden shop ( not big box store) and ask questions about what varieties either naturally grow there or are well adapted. This will make it all easier to maintain. I don't like to add too much rock because rock holds the heat in and you will want things to cool down. My #1 would be to buy a tree and keep it watered! Also, consider a water barrel to save any rain water off the roof.

'Looks to me like you are in Arizona or Nevada?

Unless you are prepared to pay for truck loads of new soil, dig up your yard and install an underground drip-water system, I would caution you about purchasing plants other than succulents. The hard-packed rocky desert soil is not conducive to most of the greenery others have suggested.

Are you on a meter for water usage? If so, I would dissuade you from planting trees. They are not cheap to purchase, and will be hard to grow in the hot sun. If you water above ground, a large percentage of the gallons of water required will evaporate in the dry air before it reaches the roots.

Check into Xeriscaping instead. This kind of landscaping style makes the most of foliage, specific to your zone, that grow naturally with minimal or no additional irrigation.

There's so much to be done! people are doing a lot with yards even smaller than yours.

Depending on how many sunny days you get there, you either treat the patio like an extra room and plant a small garden around it or if you live in warmer areas a gravel patio is a classic.

Check out the pics here: https://topyarddesign.com/lawn-yard/narrow-small-yard-ideas/

As for the BBQ area, I'd suggest you build it in the corner with the seating facing the house as otherwise it will make the yard look really small.