Greek Style Patios, Terraces and Courtyards
The greatest pleasure of Greece is to enjoy the sun - but not on the South side of a building in the heat of the summer! Traditionally styled, hand made, pine wood shutters keep the sun out of living spaces and set the scene for a Greek style outdoor space which can be a small balcony or an entire garden.
In a hot climate a Greek patio will require some shade but If you are creating a Greek style area in a cooler, wetter climate you can choose a cover that provides shelter from wind and rain instead.
Bamboo was a traditional choice for rustic roofing and fencing. The canes were bound together with wire and attached to metal poles. Grape and other vines were also used for roofing shade. I've recently seen a simple wooden frame with holes into which bamboo canes are inserted vertically. The frame can be positioned wherever a screen is needed and broken canes are easily replaced.
Canvas or plastic awnings and side panels are often used by Restaurants and domestic versions are available. They keep out sun, wind and rain and can be rolled up and tied to the frame when not in use. For a calm, sophisticated look, choose linen-white or green, and for a more eye-catching look, use striped versions in mulitple colours. Local DIY stores and garden centres cater for outside areas much more than they used to and there are speciailst firms to provide tailor made solutions. For a small multi-use area parasols or retractable wall mounted awnings and canopies are a good choice.
Many Commercial premises in Greece provide outside shade with seating and a covered area. At Methoni Camping site customers can enjoy the Sea View from an external area built from a wooden painted frame with traditional pitched, tiled roof. The colours are typically Greek but the basic design can be built anywhere. The blue wooden box planters are filled with bright flowers in summer.
Outside areas that double as driveways can be of loose stone or gravel which naturally gets compacted with use. This type of patio is inexpensive and informal and works well in rural locations and where nearby trees and shrubs can be used to provide shade. Where there is lesss traffic, you can use black nylon sheeting as a base to prevent plants from growing and cover with course gravel. This has been used at the Trigono Grove where concrete is not permitted and at the Lemon Grove to blend into the surrounding landscape. Old Greek dwellings had outside areas hardened by constant use. Dry stone retaining walls or wire fencing bordered properties and you may be able to incorporate a white Painted dry stone wall into your patio design.
Goats and chickens were kept close to the house, logs sawn and stored neatly ready for winter, and household chores were, and still are, done outside where possible. Interiors were dark because windows were relatively small to keep the building cool in summer and warm in winter. Within, or bordering, the outside space, would be a lemon tree, an almond tree, probably a fig tree and certainly one or more olive trees. Town outside places would be more likely to have decorative plants including the bougainvilla vine, showy bulbs, and palms. Suitable plants are not only available at garden centres and nursaries but also at local shops and supermarkets.
In the countryside the cleared area surrounding the building also helps to keep insects and other undesirable wildlife away from the human living area, and it is recommended that at least 10 metres is cleared around a country dwelling and left bare or concreted. If you live in an area where wildlife might sting or bite, you may prefer the so-called modern, architectural or minimalist designs with large areas of stone or paving, strategically placed terracotta, urns or pots, driftwood and few plants, mainly grasses, with one or two olive trees.
Paving stones can make an attractive patio surface, using a range of complementary shades and sizes of stone slab. Alternatives are marble, stone composite, coloured, textured concrete and ceramic. For the terrace on the East side of Ithaki Summer House at the Lemon Grove I chose the same Spanish tiles as were laid inside the house. City or town homes are more likely to use this option, which is not too expensive where the area is small and also helps to blend the outside with the inside areas. Tiles are easy to clean and less slippery than marble. Marble pieces set in concrete to form a rough textured crazy paving were used on an area further away from the summer house.
Adding features to the patio, terrace or courtyard
Im Greece your outside features may include a fishing boat (or half or a souvenir part of one), nets and other work items. You can add a wood, metal or plastic table and chairs and any number of everyday items that have taken your fancy, been collected or left lying around. Outside ovens were traditional in rural Greece; one illustrated is a traditional rounded clay oven, inset with marble pieces. Some of the most charming and authentic outside areas are being replaced by new, standard and mass produced designs. This is sad because what tourists find attractive in rural Greece is the quirky humour that accompanies the placing of mundane objects on walls and in outside areas.
At the Lemon Grove, we made use of an old terrazo sink (marble chips set into a coloured, moulded base). The sink was cemented into place on breeze blocks which were then coated with cement and tiled with ceramic tiles left over from the flooring.
Old buildings and their surrounding Outside areas are often charmingly uneven. Steps, balconies and patios are enhanced by potted plants: Geraniums, lilies, carnations and succulents. Containers are diverse and some of the most interesting and authentic are recycled painted cans. We could all learn form the "make do and mend" attitude to designing our living spaces, now that we're rethinking priorities to cope with recession and increased environmental consciousness.