Classic design transforms long, narrow terrace

Stylish outdoor living and long, narrow terraces don't usually go hand in hand.

But the determination of owner David Hazzan, together with the talents of Toronto landscape architect Martin Wade, changed a bland constrained terrace to an elegant entertaining area.

Hazzan viewed his terrace (25 feet in length and extending out six feet) as an opportunity to expand his living space.

"I also wanted some outdoor space for barbecuing. I'm really big on barbecuing," says Hazzan, who enjoys entertaining at his 1,100-square-foot, two-storey downtown condo. "It's much more fun entertaining outside than it is inside."

Wade used a classic garden design technique of garden rooms to solve the awkward space. "Creating the three individual rooms went a long way to breaking up what would have been a long narrow space," Wade says.

Instead of an empty terrace, Hazzan gained an outside lounge area with a view of Lake Ontario, a barbecuing area and a dining area.

Balconies and terraces – more than any other outdoor space – need to take design direction from the inside. "In order to get the flow from the inside to the outside we needed a dark flooring material," Wade says.

"Carrying a dark floor palette outside was important to avoid having a jarring interface between the inside and outside."

The narrow space also called for innovative storage solutions. "Storage is always an issue," Wade says. "We wanted to design a bench that would give additional seating at the end of the table, but it would also have a flip-up lid where he (Hazzan) could throw cushions or gardening implements."

The vertical cupboard unit (designed by MWLA), not only has storage but it serves as a layout counter for the barbecue or as a gathering place for guests to place drinks and snacks. "It also serves to separate the little lounging area at the north end from the more utilitarian barbecue/prep," Wade says. "It reinforces the notion of the three rooms."

It's also important to find furniture that doesn't overwhelm or clutter the space. "The decision to go with light furniture lent a very transparent, airy look," Wade says.

To further accentuate that look, Wade added a custom-built stainless steel trough with crushed glass lit from below with rope lighting. "It causes the effect of the whole terrace floating and being suspended at night," Wade explains. "It takes away from the heaviness."

Wade advises owners to do their homework before plunging into changing balconies or terraces. First of all, check with your condo board about the rules or what the process is to apply for a permit.

The second part of the homework is checking the loading capacity. "You can make a huge mistake by assuming that your balcony can accommodate the loading that you intend." Wade says. "And there are very easy ways to overcome that, like using lightweight soil mixture or you can fill the bottom of the planter with Styrofoam and put in only 16 inches of lightweight soil."

"Make a real effort to carry the same materials, themes and style from inside to outside," Wade says. "In David's case he uses really clean modern aesthetics on the inside, so obviously we went with that."

Wade suggests using the vertical element in small spaces. "We choose very tall, upright planters so that they wouldn't take up a lot of floor space room." The other factor is using small-scale furniture for the constricted space.