After removing an old wooden deck and re-sealing the roof membrane, we installed a low maintenance porcelain paver floor on a pedestal system to increase drainage, air circulation and overall weight dispersion of the garden elements. We fabricated custom cedar planter boxes with a cedar and steel railing to add height for increased safety. As you enter the space, the focal point of the garden is a sleek, modern water feature with a pretty Mexican pebble and tigerwood base. The unique outdoor kitchen is comprised of Tigerwood, cedar and stainless hardware. Tigerwood cladding on the door of an existing stand alone grill, creates the illusion of a built in grill, with beautiful cedar countertops on either side. Landscape lighting and an irrigation system keep the garden stunning day and night. Jenn LassaJenn Lassa

A roof terrace brings nature to an urban terrain, forging relationships with surrounding high-rise buildings.

Villa Balboa is a 10,000 square foot oceanfront villa on the Pacific in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. The design, general contracting and project management was done entirely by JEM4 design. We were responsible for everything from rough construction all the way to the custom furniture design. This is one of the most unique and creative villas in all of Mexico. The website for the home is www.villabalboa.com .

Luxurious London roof terrace, originally designed for a leading London Property developer and then bought by private clients.

Tall, self-contained outdoor fountain with LED light insert for day and night enjoyment.

Nelumbo Garden Design

Our SYNLawn artificial grass products like our SYNFescue 354 are natural looking, durable and keep surface temperatures low. Our synthetic turf adds liveliness to this large balcony space, and since many of our products are pet-friendly, you don't have to worry about your fur baby relaxing, playing or taking care of business on your balcony. © SYNLawn artificial grass - all rights reserved.

Path light at the end of the day. Take a look at the view on Saint Joseph's Oratory of Mount Royal. Caroline Ménard photographe

With rock work, a lake spillway pipe area became an accent. Photo by William Healy

After removing an old wooden deck and re-sealing the roof membrane, we installed a low maintenance porcelain paver floor on a pedestal system to increase drainage, air circulation and overall weight dispersion of the garden elements. We fabricated custom cedar planter boxes with a cedar and steel railing to add height for increased safety. As you enter the space, the focal point of the garden is a sleek, modern water feature with a pretty Mexican pebble and tigerwood base. The unique outdoor kitchen is comprised of Tigerwood, cedar and stainless hardware. Tigerwood cladding on the door of an existing stand alone grill, creates the illusion of a built in grill, with beautiful cedar countertops on either side. Landscape lighting and an irrigation system keep the garden stunning day and night. Jenn LassaJenn Lassa

A roof terrace brings nature to an urban terrain, forging relationships with surrounding high-rise buildings.

An exciting commission to transform an exposed, unloved roof terrace in West London. The site benefits from wonderful views across Kensington, but is open to the elements, in poor repair and has a large lightwell void and roof hatch taking up much of the available space. The brief was to create a flexible space for daytime enjoyment and evening entertainment. There needed to be areas of full shade and opportunity to lie in the sun. Planning requirements meant that there would be fixed height restrictions, so some innovative thinking was required. As this wasn’t a primary residence, the roof terrace needed to be ‘lock up and leave’. There would also be various services coming up through the roof, which needed to be subtly incorporated (and hidden!) in the design. Given the exposure, the heat and pollution in London (in particular in summer months when the roof terrace would be used), the famous Paradise Gardens of Persia and Spain came immediately to mind. These were gardens for pleasure and respite from the heat and dust of the day. Key features included trees, water, a symmetrical layout, scented plants and intricate detailing. The boundaries of these spaces were also well defined, typically surrounded by high walls. In design terms, when designing a constricted space, it is important not to downscale elements. And on a site like this with exposure on all sides, we were keen to make things more generous in scale than usual in a garden. Upscaling like this works especially well when elements are arranged in a symmetrical pattern. For someone entering the roof terrace, the effect is of a space that is larger than it is. We began by placing a water feature over the lightwell void. The base of the water feature would be glass, allowing light to fall down through the building. Four inlaid bronze strips run from the bronze surround across the roof terrace, framing the large dining table and inset seating. They help define the space, as a rug would do in a sitting room. Bronze planters wrap around the roof terrace, mostly planted with scented perennials and climbers, but with some areas where services can be hidden. A large L-shaped sofa is placed in the SE corner. Shade is provided by telescoping legs in both the sofa and dining table that can be raised and allow a canopies to be clipped on. The roof is accessed by a new glazed hatch, which is operated electronically. The design is enhanced by subtle lighting, devised by Nulty Design Consultants who have been responsible for the Ned Hotel amongst many other projects. Lead (night-time) visual shown here reproduced with Nulty’s permission. As a further consideration, the use of splashing water and evergreen planting is designed to help remove poisonous particulates from the air.