Terrace Makeover

Canary Wharf Case Study

Foxes Boxes was approached by this client to turn their bare decked terrace into a modern garden that was easy to care for and that made the most of the River Thames view.

We decided that what the terrace was lacking most was warmth and colour. So the first thing to do was to stain the deck in a rich oak colour and paint a feature wall in a vibrant blue to complement the riverside location. The white paintwork was repainted to enhance the contrast.

The small planting area set into the deck contained the remains of a large eucalyptus tree stump. We removed half of this stump to enlarge the planting area at the front. We then used this area to add height to the terrace by making three galvanised steel triangular columns for evergreen climbing plants. These serve to draw the eyeline forward rather than into terrace next door, and also reflect the neighbouring Canary Wharf architecture.

Planters were then added to the deck in both modern white terrazzo with its clean and crisp lines and the more organic shapes of the sandstone Savanne range. These were selected to complement the architectural forms of the hardy palms, yuccas and alpines. A micro irrigation system was added to make the garden easy to care for.

The problematic area of the waterbutt was solved with a change to the guttering pipe components, a new slimline water butt and tall terrazzo planters as screening.

The area outside the door was tiled in terrazzo tiles to tie in the planter scheme to the entrance to the garden and small geometric shaped pots planted with alpines lined the walk up the steps.

The final touch was a solid terrazzo table with cube stools, in black as a striking contrast, and a modern brazier/bbq.

The clients found that they used their terrace so much during the summer that they soon asked for another two cube stools for entertaining.

If you have a problem terrace or balcony then Contact Us to see how we can transform it.