JOIN USIn a scenario where construction of high-rise structures is rampant, a lush green space is like an elusive idea. On close introspection of our lifestyles, we realise that youngsters are trapped in the professional world, and the children are engrossed in books. Amidst all this, urbanisation has taken away all our green spaces and eventually our source of fresh air.
However, if you are blessed with the luxury of space for terrace gardens, then the concrete walls cannot hold you from having your very own nature corner. Having a well-designed and curated terrace garden in your home is like a treat for the eyes as well as a boon for the inhabitants.
It's quite unfair when a vast space like a terrace is left barren. A terrace, irrespective of its size, can be utilised in a beautiful manner with some creative ideas. To bring out the best in a terrace garden, one needs to utilise its maximum potential. How does one do that? What can we do to design a luxury terrace garden?
First, we need to get rid of the misconception that a terrace garden is only about plants and grass. A homeowner and the terrace garden designer need to understand that a barren terrace is similar to a plain canvas ready to be embellished and beautified. There are a lot of elements that can be incorporated to make your terrace opulent.
With careful planning and designing, the outdoors can imbibe the comfort of your indoors. Now, luxury can be defined by magnificence, comfort, ease, splendour, indulgence, grandeur, bliss and embellishments. All these aspects can be included in your terrace garden to make it luxurious.
Here are a few pointers to help you create a luxurious terrace garden:
• Seating first: Develop your own relaxing zone by designing an outdoor seating area on your terrace. Wouldn't it be amazing to have your morning coffee amidst some greenery? A beautifully designed raised deck with steps making your way towards an outdoor open-air sitting becomes your gateway from a hectic day. Make this corner opulent by adding rich stone wall murals and statues around the sitting. You can also go for different seating zones. You can have fixed furniture for a big gathering or some loose furniture in groups of two or three for a small gathering. A dining area with a terrace garden will also add an element of luxury to your terrace. A separate lounge and dining area makes it look visually spacious and functional.
• Creative add-ons: How about enjoying the drizzle and aromatic flowers while sitting in a covered outdoor setting? Designing a covered seating space on a terrace increases the functionality of the space. Pergolas and gazebos become an artistic way of covering your outdoor sitting zones. These outdoor covered structures can further be enhanced with beautiful creepers.
• Keeping it party-ready: Rooftop spaces present a unique atmosphere for entertaining and relaxing with friends and family. Throwing an open-air party where your guests are surrounded by greenery under the twinkling stars or the soothing sun on a winter afternoon will make your
terrace garden an enchanting party venue. Equip your terrace garden with a well-curated barbeque, an open-air kitchen along with a buffet counter for a lavish display. Install a well-designed and visually appealing terrace bar equipped with proper storage. A terrace bar will add on to the fun and fervour to your solitude as well as to your parties.
• For the bookworms: Reading your favourite book in your terrace garden on a winter evening with an outdoor fireplace beside you will revive the old world charm. Dedicating a corner of your terrace to a cascade will lure you to your terrace on summers. The warmth of the fireplace or the tranquil sound of water is an added luxurious feature for your outdoor terrace space.
• Into the blue: A terrace garden with a swimming pool, plunge pool or a jacuzzi surrounded by lush greenery is nothing less than sheer luxury and self-indulgence. Nothing can beat the joy of having a lap in your own terrace pool or just soaking yourself in an open-air jacuzzi. In addition to self-indulgence, a terrace pool lures you to throw some of the most fun summer pool parties in town.
• For the fitness freaks: Utilise your terrace to its maximum potential by designing a functional utility area. You can develop a covered gym in your terrace garden. Exercising in the lap of nature with your treadmill facing green plants rather than enclosed gyms will definitely be an add-on to your exercise regime. You can even create a dining room on a terrace, whether enclosed or with a retractable roof.
• Embellish it green: Just like your indoors, you can accessorise your outdoor space too. One can choose from plenty of garden accessories and embellishments. Apart from lush green plants, you can also go in for vertical landscaping. Green walls will be an addition to the concept and essence of designing a terrace garden. A vertical green wall adorned with real plants or artificial green panels will enhance the beauty of a barren wall as well as your terrace garden. Add-ons like wall murals, garden statues, rich and elegant mosaic flooring patterns amplify the beauty of your outdoors.
• Light it right: Carefully planned and meticulously installed outdoor lighting systems are what you need to complement the beauty of your terrace garden at dawn and night. Outdoor lighting can be turned into a luxurious aspect of your terrace by going in for automated systems, where you can create the grandeur of lights and different moods with just a click of a button.
If you have space, then convert your terrace into a charming garden. Seek the help of professional terrace garden designers, put in your creativity and do wonders with your terrace.
(The author is architect & director,
Studio Machaan)