Moroccan deck remodel
Tile, arch and lantern, layered until the room is enclosed. What that means for a deck remodel — what changes, the palette, the dimensions that still have to hold — and how to try it on a photo of your own room.
What the work actually covers
A deck remodel is decking boards, balustrade and size. The board and the rail decide how it looks; the dimensions decide whether it gets used, and most disappointing decks are simply too narrow to put a table on. Taken in Moroccan, the elements on the list — decking boards and direction, balustrade and handrail, steps and edging, built-in seating — are the ones carrying the look, and tile and arch. zellige and a shaped opening carry the whole style, and no textile substitutes for them.
Making a deck remodel read as Moroccan
Moroccan interiors are pattern applied architecturally — zellige tile, carved plaster, arched niches — rather than pattern applied as decoration. The remodel is tiling and openings; the textiles come afterwards. Against a deck remodel that means the pieces doing the visible work are low banquette seating, pierced metal lanterns, berber or beni ourain rug, sitting inside whatever the layout already demands.
Palette and materials
Moroccan holds a narrow range: Sand White, Saffron, Rust, Teal Glaze, Indigo, with materials running to zellige tile, carved plaster and wood, pierced brass, wool rugs and poufs. On a deck remodel the discipline matters most wherever the largest uninterrupted surface is — keep that inside the range and every smaller decision gets easier.
Dimensions that do not move
A style choice never overrides the geometry. Whatever the finishes, the work still has to hold: A deck needs 12ft of depth to hold a dining table with chairs pulled out. At 8ft it holds two chairs. Lay boards parallel to the longest edge, or perpendicular to the house — never diagonally on a small deck. Guard rails are required above 30in of drop; keep balusters under 4in apart.
Lighting
Pierced metal lanterns throwing patterned shadow. Light as another form of pattern. Low and downward. Step lights, rail lights and a couple of low-level washes make a deck usable after dark without lighting the neighbours or killing the view. Anything mounted high and aimed out turns the deck into a stage.
Where it usually goes wrong
The style breaks on sparse modern furniture, cool white walls with no texture, recessed downlights. Independent of any style, this project is most often let down by a deck sized to the budget rather than to a table, so it never holds one. boards run diagonally, which makes a small deck look busy and wastes material.
If the space is tight
Under 10ft deep, drop the dining ambition and build in perimeter seating instead. Fixed benches give a narrow deck usable capacity that loose furniture never will. Tile and arch. Zellige and a shaped opening carry the whole style, and no textile substitutes for them.
Questions
- Does Moroccan work for a small deck?
- Under 10ft deep, drop the dining ambition and build in perimeter seating instead. Fixed benches give a narrow deck usable capacity that loose furniture never will. Moroccan is helped by that, since tile, arch and lantern, layered until the room is enclosed.
- Which surface matters most in a moroccan deck?
- Tile and arch. Zellige and a shaped opening carry the whole style, and no textile substitutes for them.
- Can I see this on my own deck?
- Yes. Upload a photo and the Studio remodels it in Moroccan while holding your walls, windows and camera angle exactly where they are. New accounts get 4 credits and a Standard run costs 4, so there is a full render before anything is paid for.
- What ruins a moroccan scheme?
- Usually sparse modern furniture and cool white walls with no texture.