Not everyone is blessed with rolling lawns and expansive terraces. You may live in a townhouse or condo with only a small courtyard or deck and no yard to speak of. Don't let that stop you from creating an exciting and stylish outdoor living room.
Just follow the lead of Rosemary Conroy. Every summer, she transforms her modest rooftop deck in Baltimore into an inviting spot where everyone wants to hang out. "I have always been intrigued by interior courtyards. They're like secret gardens. This one is small enough to manage, and every design detail counts," she says.
The Room's Decor
Rosemary treats her secret garden deck like a true living room. The weathered wood floor, painted in a diamond pattern of gray tones, gives it more decorative appeal. For the furnishings, she mixed together a green wrought iron table and chairs, light-colored Adirondack pieces, canvas lounge chairs, and blue ceramic-top portable tables that fold up for easy off-season storage. A generous chest does double duty as a seating spot and storage space for all the gardening tools, "sort of like a hidden potting shed," notes Rosemary.
A lively cornflower blue fabric forms the basis of the color palette; it is used for cushions, pillows, and chair covers. "This bright blue really looks good with the colors in the garden. I like it in combination with the chartreuse in some of the leaves and the lavender flowers." Varying shades of green complement the cornflower blue. These color choices create a cool feeling during the hot summer.
