Think about the last time you sat outside and lost track of the time. Probably there was good company, something to drink, and a chair you didn’t want to get out of. That’s really all terrace living is.
Why a terrace changes the pace
In the Mediterranean, the terrace isn’t an afterthought. It’s where lunch turns into dinner and the coffee goes cold because nobody’s watching the clock. What makes it work isn’t the sunshine so much as the setup: somewhere comfortable to sit, a table worth lingering at, and a bit of shade.
We can borrow that here. Victoria’s mild climate gets us outside for more of the year than most of Canada, and a covered patio, a rooftop deck or a sheltered courtyard stretches the season well past summer. The trick is to furnish it like any room you love, with pieces that are comfortable, built to handle the weather, and nice to look at even on a grey day.
I’ve been looking at the Mediterrazza collection for ideas. It’s a luxury outdoor line inspired by Mediterranean living, with handcrafted iroko hardwood frames in warm, natural tones. It’s very much at the high end, but it’s a useful lookbook for how to set up a terrace, whatever your budget. Here are a few pieces that caught my eye.
Start with somewhere to sink in
Every good terrace begins with a comfortable seat. The Luna Sofa is a good example: a solid iroko frame, curved arms carved with sun-inspired details, and a leather strap backrest that adds some texture. The striped outdoor fabric feels like a beach cabana. It’s modular and about 212 cm (83.5 in) wide per piece, so it works on a small terrace and can grow with a bigger one.
In front of it, I like the Benissa Modular Coffee Table. It’s made of curved iroko and ceramic pieces in a taller and a lower height, so you can arrange the sections to suit the space and whoever’s sitting there. A coffee table that isn’t one big rectangle makes the whole area feel more relaxed.
A table for long lunches
If the sofa is where you unwind, the table is where everyone ends up. The Benirrás Dining Table is a bold one: a ribbed, sculptural iroko base with an inlaid ceramic top in a geometric pattern of soft green and white. It looks like a tiled terrace overlooking the sea.
It’s big, at 258 cm (about 8.5 ft) long and 104 cm (41 in) deep, so it’s really for people who host. Pair it with comfortable chairs like the Zagaleta, which has an iroko frame with cord detailing and fabric seats, and add a parasol for shade. The brand’s Matera and Elba parasols are two of its client favourites.
And a place to do nothing
The best part of a terrace may be the afternoon with nowhere to be. The Corsica Sunbed has an adjustable backrest, so you can sit up with a book or lean right back, plus thick cushions in a Mediterranean-style pattern with neat piping around the edges.
If you’d rather share the view, the Taormina Sofa has a more bohemian, vintage feel, with a sculptural iroko frame, a cord-detailed back and ikat-patterned cushions. At 285 cm (112 in) wide and 150 cm (59 in) deep, it’s a sofa for a crowd.
Planning yours
November is a good time to dream about next spring’s outdoor space. A few things I’d think about:
- Pick the seating first. Choose the sofa you love, then build around its scale and colour.
- Mix soft and solid. Striped or ikat cushions against warm wood and ceramic keep things lived-in rather than staged.
- Think in zones. A lounge, a dining table and a sunbed corner give one terrace three moods.
- Plan for cover. A parasol or roofed corner is what lets you use the space in a Victoria shoulder season.
If you want to browse more, Mediterrazza’s full collection includes armchairs, bar chairs and side tables, and it also does bespoke pieces. Prices aren’t listed, so you’ll need to ask for them through the website.
