Seeing how Isabelle Palmer has made the most of the two small balconies attached to her flat – on the top floor of a converted church in north London – is truly inspirational. ‘When I step through the front door of the flat, I get an overwhelming sense of relief,’ she says. ‘My home is my calm sanctuary.’
The downstairs balcony has enough space for a table and chairs and is a great spot for eating outdoors and enjoying the long summer days
PHOTOGRAPHS CLIVE NICHOLS
Isabelle has created an urban oasis by planting window boxes with evergreens, herbs, flowers and foliage and fixing them on to the rails of her balconies, which overlook the busy roads below. ‘Gardening has happy memories for me; when I bought this flat, the first plants I decided to grow were lavender and strawberries – I remember playing in my grandparents’ garden when I was a child, and nurturing my own strawberry plant that my grandma helped me repot every year. As my grandparents are no longer around, caring for plants that I know they used to like helps me feel close to their memory, too.’