Patio of the Week: Year-Round Gazebo Glory in Toronto

Interior designer Karen Sealy longed to change her tight Toronto backyard into a garden she can use yearlong, spending as many months as possible outdoors. Enlisting help from a crane was only the start; Sealy changes up the style of her garden escape. Below we’ll have a gander in its jaunty summertime 2013 style, together with a few shots of past winter’s layered look for contrast. Kick your shoes off, grab a cold Canadian boil and enjoy this Ontario oasis.

Fireplace in a Glance
Who lives here: Interior designer Karen Sealy
Location: Toronto
Size: The tight yard is pie shaped and extends about 60 feet out of the home.

BEFORE: Sealy describes the first backyard as “a gravel pit with one crazy, crazy mulberry tree and a 4-foot fence” Situated in The Beach area of Toronto, it is a normal long, narrow pie-shaped great deal and is adjacent to a noisy road.

Sealy Design Inc..

With the help of friends and a great deal of sweat equity, Sealy’s garden has become an oasis she loves all year. A 12- by 12-foot cedar gazebo shelters part of this garden. “I wanted it for a chunky and lovely secure structure, but I still wanted to be able to have the ceiling disappear and enjoy the stars, the sky or a thunderstorm,” she states. A corrugated plastic roof gives her a clear view into the sky.

Sealy Design Inc..

The aforementioned mulberry tree is now surrounded by a cedar box chair that holds a cooler for beverages and has space for stashing all the cushions. “I adore multifunctional pieces; they’re essential for smaller spaces,” Sealy states.

She likes to use big plants to complete the remainder of the space. Elephant ears do nicely in the summer months; she attracts them inside for winter.

Sealy Design Inc..

To soften your garden’s fence border, add shade and mask the traffic noise, Sealy and some buddies dug trenches along the fence to get a row of adult hawthorn trees, given by crane. She planted a second row of purple beech trees in planter boxes in front of the hawthorns. Lilacs add beautiful color and fragrance in spring.

Driftwood balls at the trunk can be filled with fairy lights. “They glow and create amazing shadows at night,” she states.

Sealy Design Inc..

Sealy scooped this up indoor chandelier if a client changed her mind about using it on another job. The gazebo is covered and wired into outside criteria, hence the lighting fixture is secure to use.

She upgraded a used table base with aluminum paint, then added a walnut tabletop protected with a coating of marine-gray varnish.

Chairs: Target; chandelier: Arteriors; throw pillows: HomeSense

Sealy Design Inc..

The gazebo has weatherproof vinyl panels such as those on a boat cockpit. Sealy added an extra layer of insulating material with curtains on tracks inside. She loves to have the ability to transform the space; this past winter, she hosted a large party here. “I’d more folks out in the garden than I’ve ever fit into my property,” she states.

Sealy Design Inc..

For the party she filled the area with comfy furniture, fired up the heater and stuffed baskets with mittens, scarves and blankets to her guests. It appears like there was some warming cabernet to help also.

Sealy Design Inc..

For summertime Sealy chose to go a little nautical, though not full-on anchors-and-yacht-flags nautical. She painted the deck a soft blue and spray painted the bright yellowish. “The blue colour really warms up the deck and doesn’t show dirt,” she states. The yellows, creams, white and blues may also work together with other decorating motifs, and earning colour with smaller accessories makes it very easy to switch from the palette.

Sealy Design Inc..

On the other side of this fence, a path of pea gravel and stepping stone contributes to a garden shed. Just like most houses in the area, there’s only a street-side parking pad without a garage, so the drop provides a place for your lawn mower, other garden gear and Sealy’s bike. She scooped up the exterior bamboo mirror in a secondhand store and loves the way it reflects that the garden.

Sealy Design Inc..

“I don’t think I’ve had dinner inside since summer began!” Sealy exclaims. She loves to match tablescapes into the relaxed and informal feel of eating outdoors, no sneakers required.

More: Get thoughts from more inspiring patios

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