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.”