A Yard For All Seasons

With space a factor, as well as the Canadian weather, this charming courtyard really beat all the odds

- Angela Young

The young owners of this property in Montreal, Canada, though residing in America, wanted the outdoor space transformed into a cosy, welcoming spot, ideal for weekend get-togethers with their friends. So, in stepped designer Martine Brisson and landscape architect Roxanne Miller who together make up MYTO.

“This house is our clients’ pied-à-terre,” Martine explains. “They like to visit with a few friends and never have to tidy or maintain the garden when they’re there.”

The project was made particularly challenging thanks to the plot’s shape — long and very thin at a little over 40sqm.

“We had to work with this particular volume. That inspired us to design linear furniture, stretched out like a ribbon along the entire length of the yard,” Martine says. “So our table becomes a low seat under the Japanese maple, and a double chaise longue where the sunshine hits the ground.”

This unique and stylish furniture has a number of uses — having dinner, socialising with drinks, relaxing or even taking a nap —depending on the user’s mood and time of day. Thanks to Montreal’s climate, the courtyard also needed to be able to withstand all weathers. That’s why, for the table, Martine chose to combine an aluminium frame with a Ductal concrete top. With just one per cent porosity, this material is fully waterproof and humidityresistant and, crucially, much lighter than conventional concrete.