Many city homes are turning to their roof tops to provide them with usable outside living space and while this concept may be more prevalent in warmer countries the trend is spreading fast into the UK. Although many roof tops are turned into gardens and ‘green’ spaces there’s something magical about a roof top view across a beautiful city.
Roof top living doesn’t mean that the space can only be used for weather proof furniture an furnishings, if you’re prepared to make a little effort to bring inside, or cover, sofas and chairs you can turn your roof top into a special wind-down zone.
You should also include creature comforts such as cheap rugs and even cheap curtains which can help give you privacy and help to block-out chilly breezes – just make sure that you fix the curtains secirely otherwise thay may billow-out like a sail and take off!
Take a leaf out of the book of our continental friends and utilise this potential living space as much as possible. If you live in a penthouse apartment you can go the whole hog and have a hot-tub as well as comfortable chairs and a place to eat.
You may have to check with the local authorities as not all roof tops are suitable for outdoor living, for one they have to be flat and two they need to be safe by having some type of barrier to help prevent you from falling over the edge – the view might be spectacular but you do have to have a head for height if you’re going to maximise the use of a roof top.
Probably one of the easiest ways to use your roof top is to use it as an extension of your dining room, in much the same way as you would a patio, the only difference being is that your patio won’t be at ground level! Don’t forget to include lighting in your plans, although cities provide a lot of light pollution you may still need some ambient light to provide style and additional safety.
Look for interior design ideas online to give you inspiration, although many roof tops designs will show swimming pools and grandiose living styles you can always tone things down a bit to suit your preferred interior-exterior design style and your budget.
