Terrace Design

Converted Tea Warehouse - Central London

Diana had lived in her Wapping apartment, in an old converted tea warehouse, for a number of years. Her outdoor space consists of a tiled, covered, East facing terrace, which captures the morning sun and which gives protection against inclement weather. Although situated on the fourth floor, it is largely sheltered from the prevailing Southwest winds. A small portion of the terrace remains permanently shaded and, when Diana called me in, it all looked rather tired and in need of some loving care.
Her vision was to create a warm but light feel, reflecting the ambience of her interior décor. Diana is particularly fond of Moroccan style and wanted to see this reflected in the terrace.
We agreed to include an external artwork (mounted on painted recycled timber) and a mix of planters, with accents of blue, copper and burnt gold (using some of her existing containers). We decided on the use of deck tiles, with a sea pebble edging, giving the space a warm, organic and calming feel. Moroccan style lanterns were added to provide additional external lighting on summer evenings and LEDs were added for a specific party.
When it came to the planting, Diana wanted a range of plants with a mix of nice, vibrant, colours to complement her chosen design theme and to use evergreen specimen plants to give a visual impression of year round greenery. Although the area is largely sheltered and requires watering, Diana had a preference for plants which would not require a high degree of pruning/maintenance.
We agreed on the use of a camellia and other evergreen planting, incorporating under-planted early flowering bulbs (snowdrops), climbing jasmine (for perfume) and fuchsias. Seasonal containers of annual planting, pansies, violas, etc., can then be added to complement the evergreen framework.
The existing seating was replaced with a rattan table and chairs (plus matching rattan planters) and a rattan outdoor storage box added to provide storage, plus additional seating. The Moorish style outdoor artwork was used to brighten up a dark corner and was such a success that an additional matching artwork was also added!

Examples are provided of the terrace before and after the completed design.


Garden Design