Moroccan patio remodel
Tile, arch and lantern, layered until the room is enclosed. What that means for a patio 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 patio remodel is a surface and a boundary. The paving format sets the character, the edge detail decides whether it looks finished, and the fall decides whether it is usable the day after rain. Taken in Moroccan, the elements on the list — paving material and format, edging and borders, levels and drainage falls, built-in seating or walls — 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 patio 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 patio 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 patio 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: Fall away from the house at roughly 1:80 — flat paving holds water against the wall. Keep the paved surface at least 6in below any damp course. A dining patio needs 12×12ft to hold a six-seat table with chairs out.
Lighting
Pierced metal lanterns throwing patterned shadow. Light as another form of pattern. Wash the boundaries rather than the middle. Lighting the walls and planting that surround a patio makes it feel like a room; lighting the paving itself makes it feel like a car park.
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 patio laid dead level, so it puddles and stains. paving brought up above the damp course.
If the space is tight
On a small patio, run the paving in one direction and take it right to the boundary. Borders and inset patterns eat the area visually and make a modest patio look smaller than it is. 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 patio?
- On a small patio, run the paving in one direction and take it right to the boundary. Borders and inset patterns eat the area visually and make a modest patio look smaller than it is. Moroccan is helped by that, since tile, arch and lantern, layered until the room is enclosed.
- Which surface matters most in a moroccan patio?
- 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 patio?
- 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.