Before and After: Gardens and Patios Transform 3 City Rooftops
See how designers turned three underused rooftops into destinations for relaxing and entertaining
A flat, usable rooftop can be a bonus space. It gives you the opportunity to create an outdoor oasis with unmatched sweeping vistas. It also comes with challenges, from hot sun to strong winds to less appealing views of machinery and vents. See how three designers turned barren and underused rooftop expanses into elegant and sophisticated urban outdoor spaces that celebrate the views while hiding the imperfections.
After: A multizone entertaining area now welcomes family and friends. The design includes a large outdoor kitchen, an equally expansive dining area and several seating nooks. There’s also a a play are for the owners’ grandchildren, with a long counter for games and artwork that can double as a serving spot during large parties.
An eight-seater dining table can be easily moved to capture the sun or provide more space at the center of the deck. Lindsay also created several seating areas to take advantage of the sunny spots throughout the day.
A kitchen set along one wall features a gas grill, a sink, a beverage fridge, a granite countertop and plenty of storage. Two of the seating areas flank the kitchen and are surrounded by planters filled with cold-hardy plants. Lindsay also added a planter filled with herbs around the dumbwaiter, within easy reach of the chef. “It’s super convenient,” she says.
What to Know About Adding an Outdoor Kitchen
An eight-seater dining table can be easily moved to capture the sun or provide more space at the center of the deck. Lindsay also created several seating areas to take advantage of the sunny spots throughout the day.
A kitchen set along one wall features a gas grill, a sink, a beverage fridge, a granite countertop and plenty of storage. Two of the seating areas flank the kitchen and are surrounded by planters filled with cold-hardy plants. Lindsay also added a planter filled with herbs around the dumbwaiter, within easy reach of the chef. “It’s super convenient,” she says.
What to Know About Adding an Outdoor Kitchen
Lindsay kept the existing silvery decking and the cedar cladding on the dumbwaiter. “The silver bark of the tree and the driftwood tones of the decking work well together,” she says. She also added complementary wooden details throughout, knowing they would fade in color through the years. “Anything too modern here would make the decking look old and tired,” she says.
A horizontal metal trellis surrounds much of the deck. Its simple style provides privacy and serves as a support for climbing plants. It also creates a soft windbreak. “It’s not solid, so it’s not like a sail — it lets some of the wind through,” Lindsay says. For the rest of the terrace, the homeowners opted for soft plantings in planters to create a screen.
Read more about this outdoor renovation
A horizontal metal trellis surrounds much of the deck. Its simple style provides privacy and serves as a support for climbing plants. It also creates a soft windbreak. “It’s not solid, so it’s not like a sail — it lets some of the wind through,” Lindsay says. For the rest of the terrace, the homeowners opted for soft plantings in planters to create a screen.
Read more about this outdoor renovation
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2. Colorful and Stylish Rooftop Retreat
Patio at a Glance
Location: Lincoln Square neighborhood of Chicago
Size: 925 square feet (86 square meters)
Designers: Paulina Cervantes and Andrea Fripp of Dual Concept Design (interior and exterior design) and Kemora Landscapes (planting design)
Roof deck specialist: Chicago Roof Deck & Garden
Before: The outdoor space of this fifth-floor condo in Chicago was a true blank slate. “We had this large space, completely uncovered,” designer Paulina Cervantes says. “All there was present was a fireplace as the focal point and the perimeter railing.” The homeowner, who was living in Baltimore, turned to Houzz to find a designer in Chicago who could work with her remotely.
She asked Cervantes and her partner Andrea Fripp to turn her Lincoln Square neighborhood pied-à-terre into an elegant retreat that also would be warm, welcoming and colorful. “We love that when she engaged us to design her home, she did not want neutral,” Fripp says
Patio at a Glance
Location: Lincoln Square neighborhood of Chicago
Size: 925 square feet (86 square meters)
Designers: Paulina Cervantes and Andrea Fripp of Dual Concept Design (interior and exterior design) and Kemora Landscapes (planting design)
Roof deck specialist: Chicago Roof Deck & Garden
Before: The outdoor space of this fifth-floor condo in Chicago was a true blank slate. “We had this large space, completely uncovered,” designer Paulina Cervantes says. “All there was present was a fireplace as the focal point and the perimeter railing.” The homeowner, who was living in Baltimore, turned to Houzz to find a designer in Chicago who could work with her remotely.
She asked Cervantes and her partner Andrea Fripp to turn her Lincoln Square neighborhood pied-à-terre into an elegant retreat that also would be warm, welcoming and colorful. “We love that when she engaged us to design her home, she did not want neutral,” Fripp says
After: The final design turned the patio into an extension of the indoor living space, with the existing fireplace as the anchor point. “We had to base our design on the location of the fireplace,” Cervantes says.
A conversation area now faces the fireplace. It includes a sectional sofa, two woven accent chairs and a faux bois coffee table and side tables. A synthetic sisal rug with a fuchsia border, custom-sized by Oscar Isberian, ties the pieces together.
For the color scheme, the homeowner “wanted this bright, happy space,” Fripp says. Fripp and Cervantes responded with neutral colors for the large furnishings as a base, and a mix of rich orange and pink jewel tones for the cushions, throw pillows and accents. The result is a color-filled space that also could be easily adjusted in the future.
Shop for patio furniture on Houzz
A conversation area now faces the fireplace. It includes a sectional sofa, two woven accent chairs and a faux bois coffee table and side tables. A synthetic sisal rug with a fuchsia border, custom-sized by Oscar Isberian, ties the pieces together.
For the color scheme, the homeowner “wanted this bright, happy space,” Fripp says. Fripp and Cervantes responded with neutral colors for the large furnishings as a base, and a mix of rich orange and pink jewel tones for the cushions, throw pillows and accents. The result is a color-filled space that also could be easily adjusted in the future.
Shop for patio furniture on Houzz
An outdoor dining area at one end of the patio is covered by a custom steel pergola that adds both architectural interest and shade. “We knew we needed to incorporate a shaded area but couldn’t simply place umbrellas out there,” because of Chicago’s extreme seasons and weather changes, Cervantes says.
The black metal dining set echos the look of the pergola. The designers added custom cushions and a table runner in the same fabrics as those found in the seating area. Overhead string lights and LED sconces light up the space at night.
Additional spaces throughout the deck include a colorful seating nook and a small quartz-topped cocktail table and chairs right outside the condo’s sliding glass doors. The homeowner “wanted a little bistro table where she could sit outside and work,” Cervantes says.
Read more about this outdoor renovation
The black metal dining set echos the look of the pergola. The designers added custom cushions and a table runner in the same fabrics as those found in the seating area. Overhead string lights and LED sconces light up the space at night.
Additional spaces throughout the deck include a colorful seating nook and a small quartz-topped cocktail table and chairs right outside the condo’s sliding glass doors. The homeowner “wanted a little bistro table where she could sit outside and work,” Cervantes says.
Read more about this outdoor renovation
3. Elegant Garden Escape
Patio at a Glance
Who lives here: A couple and their cats
Location: Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan
Size: 500 square feet (46 square meters)
Architect: Lynn Gaffney, with additional structural assistance from Andy Renfroe of Blue Sky Design
Before: This roof over a Chelsea neighborhood loft offered great views of the Manhattan skyline but little to entice the homeowners into the space. They turned to architect Lynn Gaffney to create a serene sanctuary that would frame the views while providing privacy and sound reduction.
Their wish list was long and included increasing the natural light in the apartment as well as adding built-in seating and storage, lighting, fauna, and drainage and irrigation solutions for the patio. They also wanted a space that would be a haven for their cats.
“Their project demands, which were clear and certainly a large presence on the design from the beginning, thankfully had no preconceived aesthetic, and this really freed up our work,” Gaffney says. She adds that the clients were able to draw on their careers in theatrical design to help them visualize the space and be open to creative avenues to find functional, livable solutions.
Patio at a Glance
Who lives here: A couple and their cats
Location: Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan
Size: 500 square feet (46 square meters)
Architect: Lynn Gaffney, with additional structural assistance from Andy Renfroe of Blue Sky Design
Before: This roof over a Chelsea neighborhood loft offered great views of the Manhattan skyline but little to entice the homeowners into the space. They turned to architect Lynn Gaffney to create a serene sanctuary that would frame the views while providing privacy and sound reduction.
Their wish list was long and included increasing the natural light in the apartment as well as adding built-in seating and storage, lighting, fauna, and drainage and irrigation solutions for the patio. They also wanted a space that would be a haven for their cats.
“Their project demands, which were clear and certainly a large presence on the design from the beginning, thankfully had no preconceived aesthetic, and this really freed up our work,” Gaffney says. She adds that the clients were able to draw on their careers in theatrical design to help them visualize the space and be open to creative avenues to find functional, livable solutions.
After: Wooden planks wrapping the surrounding water towers on many nearby roofs were the starting inspiration for Gaffney’s design. For shade and privacy, she designed a structure composed of rusted steel posts and welded cantilevered rusted steel pieces that create a gentle curve rising from the floor over the two ends of the rooftop.
Gaffney attached wood trellis slats to the steel posts. The trellis structures allow in natural light, which plays across the paving as the sun moves across the sky. Gaffney worked with Andy Renfroe of Blue Sky Design to add beams to the interior spaces below to provide the needed structural support.
The materials were selected for their resilience and durability, and have survived the winds of hurricanes Sandy and Irene. “We dealt with finishes that would weather well and require little or no maintenance,” Gaffney says. Although she also designed acoustical barriers to muffle the sound of nearby industrial fans, the trellis structures provide ample noise reduction.
Gaffney attached wood trellis slats to the steel posts. The trellis structures allow in natural light, which plays across the paving as the sun moves across the sky. Gaffney worked with Andy Renfroe of Blue Sky Design to add beams to the interior spaces below to provide the needed structural support.
The materials were selected for their resilience and durability, and have survived the winds of hurricanes Sandy and Irene. “We dealt with finishes that would weather well and require little or no maintenance,” Gaffney says. Although she also designed acoustical barriers to muffle the sound of nearby industrial fans, the trellis structures provide ample noise reduction.
The trellis structures also support climbing hydrangeas and ivy, which increase privacy and shade as well as provide some texture. Boxwood and other potted plants, chosen mostly by the homeowners, envelop the deck in greenery, and a colorful Japanese maple (Acer palmatum, USDA zones 5 to 8; find your zone) creates a focal point.
Perhaps the most important considerations in the design were the clients’ cats (one seen here). Gaffney ensured that no gap between planks spanned wider than the diameter of the cats’ heads, also prohibiting them from climbing the walls.
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Perhaps the most important considerations in the design were the clients’ cats (one seen here). Gaffney ensured that no gap between planks spanned wider than the diameter of the cats’ heads, also prohibiting them from climbing the walls.
Read more about this outdoor renovation
More on Houzz
Browse thousands of patio photos
Read more stories about patios
Find a pro for your home project
Shop for your outdoor spaces
Patio at a Glance
Who lives here: A retired couple
Location: North London
Size: 1,012 square feet (94 square meters)
Landscape designer: Georgia Lindsay Garden Design
Landscape contractor: PerlaRose Landscapes
Before: This seldom-used rooftop space was windy and bleak, with a tired barbecue and a couple of chairs that were at risk of being blown around when not in use.
The good news was that it had two permanent features in its favor. One was a tall tree of heaven (Ailanthus altissima) growing from the ground floor up through the house and terrace, providing shade and a stunning focal point. Access to the roof is via a spiral staircase encircling the tree. The other was a dumbwaiter, seen at the left of the photo, that connects to the kitchen on the floor below.
Neighbors of the homeowners recommended landscape designer Georgia Lindsay, whom they had found on Houzz, for the project. The homeowners, who have grown children and grandchildren as well as an active social life, asked Lindsay for a place where they could host family and friends and that also would have cozy spots where the two of them could enjoy a morning coffee or an afternoon drink.
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