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.
Photography by Donna Griffith

Bright contemporary deck - 350 sq.ft.
Almost like magic, with the advent of warmer weather each spring, homeowner and designer Lisa Sterio gains an extra 350 square feet of living space thanks to her spacious deck. Her apartment – housed within a historic mansion that’s divided into three units – forms a horseshoe shape that surrounds the deck and gives it complete privacy. Mornings and evenings spent entertaining friends and family are even more secluded thanks to views of trees and ravines beyond. Comfortable seating, oversized planters, luxe accessories and even artwork on the aged brick wall bring an indoors-out sense to the deck, creating an elegant backdrop for dinner parties.

The extremely durable woven Barcelona table and chairs by Dedon are “the perfect white,” says homeowner Lisa Sterio. She brings the artwork out and hangs it on the brick wall whenever she’s outdoor entertaining. She also has oversized planters that are filled with PeeGee hydrangea standards, which bring dramatic height and lush greenery to the deck.
Photography by Barry Calhoun

Cheerful eclectic courtyard - 625 sq.ft.
Much like its owner, this 25-by-25-foot patio is bursting with plenty of colour confidence and personality. Attached to the groundfloor Vancouver apartment of Jillian Harris, former Bachelorette, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition designer and host of Canada’s Handyman Challenge, the patio’s eclectic decor and colourful furnishings lend the space a cheery vibe, even on the greyest of West Coast days. “I wanted it to be lush, bright and totally approachable,” says Jillian. “I wanted guests to walk outside and feel immediately happy.”

The yellow fibreglass shell chair was one of Jillian’s first pieces of “real” furniture. Brought outdoors, it lends colour and character and can withstand the elements. Low, comfy sofas invite lounging late into the night, when homeowner Jillian Harris lights loads of candles and tiki torches to keep the outdoor party going. Another element is the solid fencing in a smoky bluegrey colour that gives the perfect patio plenty of privacy.