I am Sonja, a lifestyle blogger, mother of a 1.5-year-old toddler and an 8-year-old dog, wife, and an adventurer who loves interior design and travel.
Our family lives in a row house apartment in a new development in the Helsinki metropolitan area, and my favorite place at home is our glazed terrace and backyard. I also spend a lot of time at our vacation home in Northern Savonia.
I blog on the Thermal Mat site, sharing about our terrace life through the different seasons: spring, summer, autumn, and winter.
We spend time daily in our backyard as a whole family, which is why I have invested a lot in its decor and comfort with high-quality furniture and textiles.
Thermal Mat has been one of our best purchases for the glazed terrace. It insulates heat well, is easy to clean, and fits beautifully into the decor. There is a wide range of colors, so there is surely a suitable shade for every home!
The terrace changes with the seasons
I love celebrations and holidays, and I always try to decorate the home according to the themes. This spring, the glazed terrace was refreshed for both Easter and May Day. Even small elements like textiles and plants can nicely change the look of the space.
For Easter, I decorated the terrace with willow branches, and for May Day, balloons and streamers added to the atmosphere. I use dried flowers a lot during other seasons, and on the sunny south-facing yard, there’s no need to worry about watering as the days warm up.
Different functions of the terrace
The glazed terrace is one of our child’s favorite play areas. We often set up a tent there, put in a ball pit, and he can bring his best toys for play. This way, the whole family enjoys being together in the same space.
The glazed terrace also serves as our dining room. Many weekends we have enjoyed snacks and evening meals sitting on the terrace sofa.
Dry Step® Terrace Mat warms the feet so well that when the temperature is above freezing, it’s comfortable to be barefoot without toes getting cold. On chilly days, a heat lamp also warms the space.
With the increase in remote work, the terrace often serves as my office. What could be better than moving from indoors with a laptop and coffee cup to the terrace sofa and letting the sun warm your face?
Working in such a space is a completely different experience. Our dog Late is also a big fan of the terrace sofa and happily naps outside while watching passersby.
On darkening evenings, my spouse and I often lower the Visor blinds on the terrace, light candles, and enjoy a glass of wine.
I’m already looking forward to inviting friends and neighbors to these evening gatherings again.
Thanks to the protection from the blinds, as well as the thermal mat and infrared heater, it’s also nice to cool off on the terrace after sauna in just a towel or bathrobe.
Spring yard work for the terrace
This spring, we completed our unfinished new development yard by building an extension for the terrace. In this corner, the toddler enjoys taking care of a doll, playing kitchen games, and more.
It also makes supervision easier for the parents, as we can sit next to the play area on the glazed terrace on the warm thermal mat instead of the cold ground or plastic chair.
My inner green thumb usually awakens around Easter, when I start dreaming about planting in the yard.
I especially love daffodils and snowdrops. Planting is enjoyable with the spring sun warming, but often the weather is still too cold for the fingers. That’s why I usually do it sitting on the terrace floor, and our terrace’s thermal mat hasn’t suffered even though large amounts of soil and muddy water have often spilled on it during planting.
My husband is handy, and after the last snow melted, he built flower boxes to border the edges of the terrace. We wanted a more sheltered and private yard, so we decided to plant thuja and conifers on one side, and hops and useful plants on the other.
I can’t wait for the last frost nights to pass so I can admire the results of our work and the green yard!
The open areas of the yard will still be fenced to keep our small dog from escaping. At the same time, this will keep unwanted visitors, like rabbits nibbling on plants, away from our yard.
Fortunately, we’ve already had a taste of summer weather, and the terrace is starting to be ready for summer. I’ll get back to you after midsummer!
Best regards,
Sonja
