Iroko decking balcony in London

October 24, 2023

Iroko decking balcony in London

A neglected hardwood timber decking sat on a balcony, it was dirty and unloved. The client expectations were to replace the decking but with the concept design by Joanne Bernstein the terrace came to life.

The design brief

The balcony garden was to be revived and remodelled into a usable space, one that looked beautiful.

Planters, trellis and a sense of wellbeing. A simple brief but one of extreme complexity.

Recycling old decking

The main component of the decking was actually lifted, refinished and refitted as part of the overall landscaping works. This gave the client a feeling of contribution to the environment and said “if it’s good for another 20 years then let’s not waste valuable materials”. Iroko decking is tremendously hard and durable as a decking material. After a deep clean and revitalisation with Owatrol oils it was fit to last as if it were new.

Iroko trellis and railings

The balcony had an existing railing in black painted mild steel. The canopy and railing additions had to be designed that they spoke the same language. Each vertical had to line up to the millimetre which wasn’t easy as they had a tolerance of about 5mm. The iroko trellis and framework was custom made thanks to Tom and the team at Brooks Bros Ltd.

Custom made planters

The design intention was for a metal planter arrangement and chose stainless in a satin finish. Irrigation and drainage is hidden inside through channels fabricated into the planter form. The fitted with no millimetres to spare, they were almost too precise.

Detailed design works

The planters, steel framework and balustrade had to be designed to work with the timber. Workshop drawings were created by Karl Harrison who brought this balcony to life with visuals, and it was built by the employed team at Decking by Karl.