This summer our home renovation project has been replacing the flooring on our roof deck. We finally said good-bye to the pressure treated pine and hello to one of those trendy new hardwoods from Brazil — Cambara Wood.

I love the mahogany color and the smooth surface of this wood and as you can see in these before/after pics, just changing the floor has totally revitalized the look of our deck. As it usually goes with D.I.Y projects, this one has taken about three times longer than we had originally hoped. Weather, work and weariness have slowed us down, but we are close enough to the end now that I can start thinking about decorating the new deck.

So far I’ve arranged the first corner that catches your eye as you step out on to the deck. I love this urn filled with a mandeville vine and I’m creating a fairy theme here as a tribute to the flower fairies (still deciding where to hang the sign). We’ve strung rope lighting under the entire deck railing to provide a soft downlight at night. I love the soft magical ambience it gives against the dark night sky.

For the main deck, I found a great tin leaf motif when I was out prowling around a HomeGoods store and it has become the inspiration for the rest of the deck’s decor which is an “enchanted forest hideaway” theme. This theme is broad enough to incorporate all my flower fairies and decorative birds as well as our existing green umbrella. We made a list of all the functions our roof top retreat must serve. We like to bar-b-que up there, and eat up there and we also like to relax up there and read and occasionally we entertain guests. So, in addition to our existing bar-b-que, 4 chairs and umbrella we need to add a table and lounging furniture. To build on the forest theme I’ve ordered some teak chaise loungers with dark green cushions. The armless loungers can lay completely flat which will allow them to serve a dual purpose as bench seating when company is over. I plan to add leafy patterned pillows and accessories in keeping with my forest theme. I’m still looking for a unique cafe table to complete the furnishings — something sturdy enough to withstand exposure to sun and rain since we have no shelter from the elements.

One of the big trends in outdoor rooms right now is bringing the “inside” out (sort of a twist on bringing the “outside” in). Have you found a way to do this for your outside room? I’d love to hear about it as I putter away with the fine details of decorating my rooftop retreat.