eSociety is the official magazine of the Society of British and International Design (SBID); the UK’s professional accrediting body for the interior design industry. The magazine offers a snapshot of the industry to date, including important industry news, interesting products from all corners of the industry as well as inspirational design ideas and case studies of the most unusual and bold new projects across the globe. We are on the page 11.

Who needs a garden when you can have a living work of art on your wall? Launched at the recent Grand Designs Show, Urban LivePicture has an ingenious watering system that keeps your picture happy for week.

There is scarcely a designer or developer in the land who doesn’t enthuse about “letting the outside in”, but the rich and famous are now taking that one step further; they are taking the inside out, turning their urban roof terraces into extensions of their living rooms down to the fireplace, rug and even underfloor heating.

For those with six figure sums to spend on their roof terraces, decking has given way to huge handcut slabs of stone, rattan has been replaced with powder-coated aluminium and flick-clean furniture by the likes of Spanish design company Gandia Blasco. And you can ditch the tacky white hot tub as you’ll be wanting a stone bath that serves as both minimalist water feature and a place to have a private dip. You can forget the firepit too. A real fireplace on a chimney breast is far more fashionable. And the old spiral staircase? Try a glass staircase instead. Pierre Wilter, director of Urban Roof Gardens, recently installed one in Waterloo that spanned four storeys at a cost of £15,000 per tread.

“It’s very exciting and very expensive but you have to get the return on investment right,” says Wilter, whose mantra is that roof terraces are not gardens – they are outdoor rooms. “If you match the quality of products inside and out, you will create value. If you are spending £1,000 per square metre on redecorating the inside of your property, you need to spend the same outside.”

Wilter’s creations include a beach-like terrace in Bermondsey with wooden walkways fringed by long grasses, illuminated resin-bound paving to resemble sand and designated sunbathing zones. Or there’s his Mediterranean hill village overlooking Victoria with a crunchy gravel path, perforated Sardinian brick walls and huge terracotta planters for fruit and vegetables. “Others simply want sheer minimalism – grey metallic walls and not a plant in sight. They are often the most lavish terraces,” he says.

Budgets of £50,000-£120,000 are typical, though it’s easy to spend a few hundred thousand if the project also includes some interior redesign so that the inside “relates” to the terrace. It appears to pay off, though. Wilter calculates his London clients – who include “an extremely famous tennis player, a very famous rugby player, and lots of musicians and politicians” – have all added at least 15 per cent to their property’s value. One West Hampstead flat’s value increased by 27 per cent after a new-look terrace that included an “infinity garden” that provided a seamless transition between the terrace’s greenery and the communal gardens below.

The best roof terraces provide the ultimate oasis in the city, offering privacy, decadence and escapism, ideally with panoramic views too. On sale for £10.5m on Lansdowne Crescent (domusnova.com), the roof space of a five-bed penthouse designed by Richard Hywel Evans at Studio RHE looks like a luxury cruise liner where you can stand Winslet and DiCaprio-like, soaking up the views from high above W11.

It all points to a great party and for today’s rooftop revellers, the preferred accoutrements include outdoor wet bars with built-in, underlit ice buckets and sleek, minimalist outdoor kitchens. “People want all requirements to be met in their external space. We’ve installed kitchens, wine storage units, heating, televisions, multimedia and any number of seats, sculptures and lights,” comments Barry Burrows, managing director of Bartholomew Landscaping, whose projects include turning a disused rooftop on top of a Georgian house in Pimlico into an Ibiza-like haven of lavender, lanterns and bespoke daybeds.
Burrows is among those doing an impressive job of taking the inside out so convincingly that not even a drop in temperature would remind you that you’ve gone al fresco, given the latest trends in designer overhead or underfloor heating. On Bartholomew Landscaping’s award-winning makeover of a terrace in Knightsbridge’s Rutland Gardens, there’s little to distinguish inside from out, with the terrace featuring decked walls with a fireplace, TV and mirrors. There’s also a retractable glazed roof – a concession to a climate that doesn’t allow for as much terrace action in this country as we’d like. A glazed sun room – housing a cocktail bar – fulfils a similar purpose, as seen in The Bingham II, the remaining five-bed house at The Firs in Wimbledon Hill Park, on sale for £4.95m (berkeleygroup.co.uk).

As for those outdoor rugs, the designer Laura Hammett has used one in her styling of the roof terrace of a Grade II listed, five-storey house in Belgravia’s Wilton Street, on sale for £14.25m (savills.com). If it weren’t for the ancient olive trees dotted around the furniture, you might forget you are outdoors. Or you could go for a ceramic tile “rug” of the sort Finchatton have designed next to the Portland Stone outdoor fireplace in Kingwood, a £24m work in progress in Hans Place (Knight Frank; Savills).

Now we need no longer imagine what’s going on behind the closed doors of the super-rich as this inside out city living puts it all on show.

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The installation references old and new, intermingling the aesthetics of formal 18th-century northern European gardens with the sleek corporate skyscrapers of New York city. using glass — one of graham’s signature materials — he complements the expanse of central park that extends through the urban landscape below, and mirrors the tall buildings of midtown Manhattan, forging a historic and complex relationship with both the viewer and its surroundings. The roof garden commission: Dan Graham with günther vogt will be on view from through November 2, 2014.

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When you’re living in the concrete jungle, outdoor space is the most precious commodity. And for urbanites, it is roof terraces not gardens that hold the greatest allure.

Gardens are a drag. They have lawns which need mowing and flower beds that need weeding. Roof terraces are the dream. They come with views and act as sun traps. But it’s not enough to stick a few grubby plant pots and a deckchair on your terrace. This is the year to focus on design and make the most of your outdoor space, by creating an extra room that’s stylish and functional. Think of it as somewhere to sip sundowners, read a book or have breakfast al fresco – not a giant herb garden.

“More and more of our customers are looking to bring the indoors-out during the hotter months, whatever the size of their outside space,” says Ian Chumbley, a merchansider at John Lewis. “People are increasingly looking for a versatile space where they can relax.”

Pierre Wilter, director of Urban Roof Gardens, has seen demand for roof terraces expand exponentially year on year. His top tip for anyone furnishing one is to remember you’re designing a room, not a garden in the sky. “Don’t pull out a gardening book, choose an interiors book that specialises in small spaces and design it as if you were designing a living room. Decide what you are going to use the room for – chillaxing? – and then add in stuff like the view and plants.”

It doesn’t matter if you don’t have a large pot of money to spend. The most important thing is to create a consistency between your interior and exterior style. Wilter explains: “If you’d spend £200 on your living room, spend £200 on your terrace. The quality of the finishes and materials outside must match the inside.”

So how to go about tarting up your terrace? Clotilde Passalacqua, Ikea’s interior design leader, advises: “Decide on a theme and stick to it. A mish-mash of colours and designs makes areas look smaller, while focusing on one trend creates the illusion of more space.” So choose a colour scheme as you would for a living room – it doesn’t have to be all greenery and natural colours – a Scandinavian palette of muted greys, white and black are bang on trend for spring.

Start with decent wooden decking, which looks smart and allows easy access to the roof for repair work. Instead of dominating the space with a dining area, create a relaxing area with an outdoor sofa and low table in hardwearing materials such as rattan and choose a modular style to maximise your space. Complete the ‘‘interior’’ look with details and pops of colour: think wall clocks, art, storm lanterns and strings of outdoor lights, as well as throws and cushions to add eye-catching touches.

Adding this extra room should boost the value of your home as well its saleability. “We are increasingly seeing owners invest well-spent time and money on creating amazing spaces that make a lasting impression on a buyer,” says Savills’ Barbara Allen. “It’s not uncommon for prospective buyers to ask for terrace furniture to be included in a sale.”

Just remember to do your homework. You won’t necessarily have planning permission to convert a roof terrace and you’ll need to employ a structural engineer to check it’s strong enough to take the weight of your designs.

Bring on the sunshine.

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Designed for dining all year round, The Terrace at The Restaurant Bar & Grill in Manchester continues to be the hottest spot in town for dinner or drinks. The south facing, first floor terrace, has added an additional 80 seats under a retractable awning and a champagne bar with an inspired new cocktail list. Combining luxury with the ultimate in simplicity, the space is a strikingly geometric interpretation of the outdoor lounge trend with lush seating in an intimate space that feels of a chic garden.

Created by the leading British designer Robert Angell, The Terrace is designed for dining rain or shine. Before establishing his own design practice, Angell worked alongside David Collins on many of London’s most prestigious restaurants, bars and hotels, including the Wolseley and Nobu. Angell was also responsible for the design of the newly created Cicchetti Bar & Late Lounge at Piccolino in Mayfair, London and the The Roof Garden at ley.

After 12 great years of success, The Restaurant Bar & Grill in Manchester continues to pride itself on using the ingredients of the highest quality. Steven Walker, boss of Individual Restaurants said, “We opened our doors in 2001 and for over a decade the philosophy of our menu has remained the same, to serve classic dishes inspired by acclaimed chefs and restaurants from around the world. We are committed in sourcing the best possible ingredients and through seasonal changes we aim to bring you truly memorable meals. At the heart of our menu is The Grill featuring amazing steaks, sourced, aged and cut by our in-house butchers.”

Additional planning has also been approved for a Sky Bar & Grill on the roof of The Restaurant Bar & Grill in Manchester. Due to open spring 2013, The Sky Bar & Grill will boast a wood burning oven, charcoal grill and an amazing bar with a mix of restaurant and lounge seating under a retractable awning for all year use. With a protective wall and all day sunshine, it will be the perfect oasis for great food, cocktails and cool beach house music right in the heart of Manchester.

Walker said “After visiting the best roof terraces at some of the coolest restaurants and hotels in major cities around the world we are looking forward to bringing a taste of them to Manchester.”