When we first bought the house, the courtyard was falling to pieces – much like the rest of the property really, as it was completely inhabitable. We immediately knew we wanted the courtyard to become a room in the house, and not just somewhere we used on occasion.
The indoor/outdoor room right next to the courtyard really complements it and the two have become seamless. The fact it is roofed over but open on one side means it’s ideal for use all year round – it’s one of my favourite reading nooks.
We chose to go with a slight Moroccan theme because we had a few well-suited pieces that we’d collected on our travels. One is this Moroccan door that we picked up – it fits in really well and added to the flavour. The mirrors have also opened the space up quite a lot. They were Jim’s idea and we imported them from the UK.
Aside from Moroccan, we’ve also incorporated lots of Maltese touches. For instance, we preserved the old stone kitchen, and added the beautiful Maltese cross to our fabrics.
We do try out best with gardening out here too, but some plants don’t seem to like it. It doesn’t get much direct sun as it’s overshadowed a little by the four floors around it. The bougainvillea has done pretty well though, and it’s lovely that the flowers add a pop of colour.
The great thing about this space is that we literally use it all the time – for instance, I had my breakfast out here this morning. It’s a lovely spot to entertain too and our guests often mill inside and out when we have a party.
This is a snippet. Read the full feature on the latest issue of STYLE on Sunday. Look out for the second courtyard in the series next Sunday.
