A Terrace Design Gives Me Spring Fever

Published: February 29th, 2016

It’s still February in Chicago, but I’ve got a bad case of spring fever. You can chalk it up to the fact that I’m in the midst of designing a large outdoor terrace for a young urban couple. The 250 square foot deck is perfect for gracious entertaining and has me longing for a languorous summer evening with friends. I’m taking my cues from the clients’ tastes (artistic, fun and casual), the view (a fairly typical alleyscape that I consider Chicago’s version of Hitchcock’s “Rear Window”), and the outdoor palette of woody greys and earthy brick browns.

Easy-to-maintain trees will be planted on the terrace for shade, privacy, color, and shielding from the harsh alley lights. The deep-seated Costa Luxe teak sectional from Restoration Hardware joins a cozy, slip-covered lounge chair in paprika fabric from Lee Industries to provide generous seating for eight. Ethnically-inspired pillow fabrics add a touch of Bohemian chic. The Sabinas coffee table by Javier Mariscal, from Orange Skin, gives the seating group a bold and contemporary anchor.

The real fun starts with a couple of Frank Gehry Left Twist Cubes from Design Within Reach. They’re great for optional seating, ottomans, or table surfaces.  A pair of Swell outdoor pendants from Lightology with black exterior finish throw warm pools of light from above, their shiny brass interiors adding the bling.

 As a finishing touch, we’re going with this dazzling pair of Blow Planters from Orange Skin lit from within. Remote controlled, these round planters each have built in RGB LED lights that allows their surfaces to glow — yes,glow! — in just the right color to match the mood. Kind of reminds me of the Crown Fountains at Millennium Park or the changing lights of Buckingham Fountain that mesmerize on a warm summer night.

Okay, I really do have a bad case of spring fever! Don’t you?