spain on the roof
We like spending abroad. When temperature drops in Belgium, we head for the South of Europe. Menorca has been our favorite hangout for years. The fauna & flora on this Balearic Island is amazing, very Mediterranean with brightly colored flowers and succulents in autumn, winter en spring. It’s this South European atmosphere that we tried to integrate in this particular project.
ROUGH MEDITERRANEAN LOOK
The duplex apartment has two decks. On the first deck, there’s a small terrace with two planters that we filled herbs and grasses. On the upper deck, you can enjoy a beautiful view on the city. Rooftops are great outdoor alternatives for city dwellers, but they rarely offer privacy. To create a sense of intimacy we added plastic tubs that we planted with ordinary bushes, Plapinus negra and Amelanchier. These last two species are perfect if you love this rough and earthy South European look.
FLOWERS & FLOORS
To counterbalance the toughness, we planted lots of flowers. They add color and they can look poppy and really cool if you pair them with the right plants. Alongside the selection of plants, pots and flowers, the flooring is also a very important element in the process of designing a garden. After completing this Mediterranean rooftop garden, the existing floor tiles got removed and replaced by a white boat decking, a synthetic material designed as a surface covering for the decks of boats, giving the outdoor space a very modern look.
Text by Magali Elali — Photography by Bart Kiggen