Acing a city garden
DESIGNER JULIA THOMPSON LETS US IN ON THE DESIGN SECRETS BEHIND HELEN’S AMAZING ALFRESCO SPACE – A ROOF TERRACE THAT’S A CUT ABOVE
Julia Thompson is a fashion stylist turned interior designer and founder of Frank Interiors in London. ‘I set up Frank Interiors five years ago. It happened organically – after I had renovated my own home, a friend asked me to design one room, which led to redesigning her entire house,’ she says. ‘For Helen’s roof terrace I brought in garden designer Barbara Samitier who I’d worked with on a previous project and trusted to pick the best plants and complete the look.’
BRING THE INSIDE OUT When you’re working with a wraparound terrace, as was the case with Helen’s apartment, the phrase ‘bringing the outside in’ couldn’t have been more relevant. With views of the terrace from virtually every room, for me as a designer, it was vital to carry the flow from inside the apartment to each of the stunning terraces. To do this, however, I needed to call in the big guns.
CONSIDER COLOUR Designing and planting a roof terrace isn’t just a case of buying a few pots and adding some pretty plants. Done properly, it is far more complex than designing even your average garden. I wanted to continue the colour palette that I had used in the house of bronzes and creams, rather than opting for the classic dark grey that is popular at the minute. I chose Talenti, an Italian company, who had the quality and the colour palette I was looking for.
INVEST IN OUTDOOR FURNITURE The old adage ‘you get what you pay for’ is never more true than when it comes to garden furniture. Good quality, waterproof (rather than water-resistant or rain-resistant) sofas and chairs are expensive but, in my opinion, are worth every penny. They can be left out all year (it is better to cover them during the winter months, particularly in the UK) but from spring to autumn, the cushions can be kept outside as they have been made using special waterproof fabric and come with guarantees.
PICK QUALITY MATERIALS I used very on-trend travertine, a natural stone, inside Helen’s apartment, so I wanted to repeat that on the terrace. Each one of the tables are made from this beauti
