Outdoor design solutions for any size space

We Canadians know how to take advantage of the outdoors when the warm weather hits. And these three designer spaces, ranging from tiny balconies to spacious decks, are indicative of this very notion. Here's how these creative homeowners made the most of it all.


Photography by Angus Fergusson

Bold minimal balcony - 104 sq.ft.
Homeowner and designer Stacey Cohen prefers an easy-to-maintain outdoor space on the balcony of her 20th floor condo in Toronto. Completely eschewing containers of shrubs and plants, she opts for simple cut flowers and candles when entertaining out here. Stacey installed the click-and-lock deck flooring on her own (“with the help of a bottle of wine,” she says with a laugh), giving the space a hit of warmth and texture. The eight-by-13-foot southwest-facing balcony gets its privacy from concrete and frosted-glass partitions and plenty of colour from bold throw pillows, table linens, vases and a café table and chairs (not shown) in a cheery shade of turquoise.

A weathered-teak modular sofa can be separated into two pieces or used as a sectional, as homeowner Stacey Cohen has done here. All-weather fabric covers zip off to be thrown in the wash. A strong colour palette carried out from the condo’s interior – a mix of turquoise, blues and greens – helps establish an indoor-outdoor connection.