My Urban Oasis: Part I

The Sun Lounge

Any amount of outdoor space in New York City is a luxury, but our terrace, with its narrow and L-shaped configuration, presented a real challenge for furnishing and enjoying it all these years. But, with all of this extra time at home, I realized it was time to give our terrace a long overdue upgrade.

If you’re like me, every great project starts with a Pinterest board. So, I spent the first few weeks simply collecting ideas and inspiration for small balcony and apartment terraces (Terrace Inspiration Board). I find it’s always best to have a clear picture of what you’re trying to create before making any purchases as to not end up with returns and regrets.

I had a number of design challenges for this project – (1) a very narrow, L-shaped space, which limited the type of furniture I could purchase and their placement and (2) the vibrant coloration of our apartment building and terrace – blue, white and yellow tones. The first decision I made was to split the project into two by designing and creating two distinct spaces at either end of the terrace – (1) the “sun lounge” – a solitary space to sun, relax and read where the terrace is most narrow (only 36″ wide) (focus of today’s post) and (2) the “wine lounge” – a communal space to enjoy as a family or with guests.

Second, I decided on a decor style. To compliment the metropolitan backdrop and colors of the building and terrace, I decided on creating a modern miami-inspired oasis for my sun lounge with lush greens and neutral tones of brown, black and white (my original idea of creating a cozy, boho-inspired space just wouldn’t work against this backdrop).

Finally, I got shopping! The most important task for creating a comfortable space was finding the perfect, narrow profile dark brown wicker sun lounger. I then purchased a wood and black metal plant stand that I used as a side table and recycled an old wrought iron bistro chair that I revived with a classic black and white striped cushion. To bring the space together, I found a gray and white outdoor oriental rug. For accessories, I opted for a modern graphic black and white striped weave pillow for the sun lounger, modern black plastic outdoor planters and outdoor flameless pillar candles. Finally, as a finishing touch, I purchased a 3-foot majesty palm that I planted behind the sun lounger to create a bit more privacy and division from our neighbor’s adjoining terrace.

A makeover project would not be complete without a before and after photo. Here is the space that Bugsy coined my cemetery of forgotten planters (not inaccurate lol). Despite the gorgeous views, this space was completely underutilized as a place for me to replant indoor plant babies and to store extra planters/soil/gardening tools.