Exploring Inspiring Spaces: Terraces vs. Patios | A Gentle Outdoor Conversation

In this episode of The Insomnia Project, hosts Marco Timpano and Amanda Barker ease into a relaxing conversation about the quiet appeal of outdoor spaces, exploring the subtle differences between terraces, patios, and lanais. As with every episode of this calming podcast, the discussion moves gently and unhurriedly, creating the kind of soothing background listening that can help quiet racing thoughts, ease anxiety, and make it easier to fall asleep. The conversation begins with Amanda reflecting on a memorable visit to Washington, DC, a city she loves for its walkable neighbourhoods and inviting public spaces. From there, Marco and Amanda share stories of some of the most inspiring terraces and patios they’ve encountered during their travels.
Together they reflect on what makes these outdoor spaces feel so special — whether it’s a rooftop terrace overlooking a skyline, a cozy patio tucked into a quiet garden, or a simple place to sit and watch the day unfold. Along the way, the hosts gently unpack the question of what actually distinguishes a terrace from a patio, and where a lanai fits into the mix. The conversation drifts through design details, travel memories, and the calming feeling of spending time in thoughtfully designed outdoor environments. With its slow, meandering rhythm and easy curiosity, this episode offers a peaceful listening experience for anyone looking to unwind, relax, and drift toward rest.

​Exploring Inspiring Spaces, Terraces vs. Patios

(Original airdate: June 7, 2023)

Welcome to the Insomnia Project. Thank you for joining us. We're going to have a calm conversation meant to help you sort of drift away or drift off. So relax, take a seat. Maybe take a deep breath. Or not. Thank you for joining us. I'm your host, Marco Timpano.

Amanda:  I'm right here. I'm Amanda.

Marco:  Amanda, today's episode is going to have a lot of sort of nods to our listeners.

Amanda:  Nods?

Marco:  Nods. Like nodding of the head?

Amanda:  Like nodding of the head. Like a gesture that we recognize them.

Marco:  What do you call this? A salute to our listeners before we go into our episodes.

Amanda:  Very officious. A salute.

Marco:  Well, okay. Like a thank you to our listeners. So we have, you know, the Insomnia Project is a small team of people who get this podcast out there.

Amanda:  They're both here. And I am not the percent the major percentage of the lift, but, uh,

Marco:  I would argue that it's more than just us.

Amanda:  It is more than just us. You've had so much help. Amy was amazing and continues to be amazing.

Marco:  Uh, Nidhi in the past as well. There's all our guests. But above and beyond that, we have some important listeners, one of whom listens in California and will always tell me when the ads that appear at the top of our episodes are too loud.

Amanda:  Mhm. That's such helpful information and feedback.

Marco:  And so when I hear that I'm able to reach out to the podcast platform and say those ads are a little bit loud, can we remove them? And I've heard from other listeners too, so it's very helpful because every market has its own ads and having that

Amanda:  dialogue with the podcast platform. Can we say their name?

Marco:  Of course.

Amanda:  With acast.

Marco:  Yes.

Amanda:  Um, is one of the reasons that you chose ACAST in the first place because they were very understanding of what our needs are.

Marco:  Exactly.

Amanda:  And uh, how to deliver the best content to the listeners.

Marco:  And they've been helpful too, so they've been a part of our program. ACAST has helped us in many, many ways also. So this individual who I'm speaking of is Nima Kharazi, one of our good friends. And if you should hear an ad, um, that is too loud, let us know. Tell us what market you're in and we'll have it removed.

Amanda:  And I think it's important to know too, because not everybody knows this. We don't speak about it a lot. But if you do want ad free content from us, we are very happy to provide that for you, as is acast. And they are available for actually quite a small feature fee. Um, that might, uh, be a worthy investment into your sleep. So something to think about.

Marco:  Yeah. So if you want to hear these episodes with no ads, you just go to our link on our show notes or go to acast, the Insomnia Project and you'll find that. And of course we have our Patreon.

Amanda:  Patreon, yeah, episodes.

Marco:  Which is extra content.

Amanda:  Is it Patreon or Patreon?

Marco:  I always say Patreon. People say Patreon. I don't know.

Amanda:  Well, um, hopefully we've said it enough both ways so that you know what we're talking about. And there's lots of extra ad free content on there as well.

Marco:  So I want to give a shout out to our friend Nima, Nima Karazi, who has a podcast called Our Gastric Sleeve that we've mentioned a few times here on the podcast. Uh, his podcast is nominated for two awards in two categories at the Just Bu Bariatric Awards hosted by Kelly and Jules. I want to say amazing. And that's coming up September 30th at the Howard Theater in Washington D.C. and we're so thrilled for them.

Amanda:  And so that's an in person event, those awards.

Marco:  Yes.

Amanda:  Well, that is very incredible, Nima. And this is the first time I'M hearing about this. So, um, that's incredible news, and good for you. And it's an amazing podcast and quite a journey that all three of those people have been on, actually.

Marco:  It's so fantastic. I've been on it, too, and I believe I'm going to be going up on a following episode. But I don't want to say too much. Uh, and that's at the Howard Theater. Did you perform at the Howard theater in Washington, D.C. in D.C. yeah.

Amanda:  Uh, you know, I don't think I ever performed in DC. I've been to DC. I love DC. It's actually one of my favorite cities in the U.S. is it really? Yeah.

Marco:  I didn't know that.

Amanda:  You didn't know that?

Marco:  Well, we've never been there together.

Amanda:  That's a good point, actually. Do you want to know why?

Marco:  Most certainly do. Want to know why?

Amanda:  Well, I went to D.C. as a small child on a very hot summer road trip, and that was not a fun time. I don't remember how old I was, but I wasn't. I was under the age of 10. And, uh, I just remember it was really, really hot, and we were sort of walking around and when you're, you know, eight, nine historical landmarks about your country are not usually what floats your boat. I was more. The trip for me was more about the amusement parks that we went to and less about, you know, the Capitol Building. But, um. So I guess I didn't have much thought going to D.C. when I finally went again, I had a very dear friend, still a dear friend. Um, who, um, had just gotten married. Ah. And her husband. Um, and that's. Actually, I should probably tell the story of them sometime on this podcast.

Marco:  Sure.

Amanda:  It's an interesting story. But, um, for our purposes right now, uh, they had just gotten married, and he was going to, I believe, John Johns Hopkins. Is it John Hopkins or John.

Marco:  I think it's John.

Amanda:  Well, anyway, Hopkins, uh, University, which I believe is in D.C. and, um, so I was going down on one of my many, many, many trips to see my family in Florida. And so I did a stop over there for a day or two, not very long, but to just check in with them and to enjoy the city a little bit. And I really enjoyed the city. I. First off, there's only a few cities that I've gotten to be at, at least in the US by myself. And I think exploring a city by yourself, alone and on your own terms is something everybody should do at least once. And I would argue if you could, if you have the luxury Doing it once a year, it's great.

Marco:  I love doing that as well. Finding the city you haven't been to and just doing your own thing.

Amanda:  Mhm.

Marco:  Answering to no one but yourself and just exploring it with your own fresh eyes is a delight.

Amanda:  And it's funny because you and I, I mean, we love spending time together, so we haven't done that really a whole lot once we've been married, which has been now a long time. But this is before I met you. So I went and explored the city on my own terms. I went to some of the univers, um, well, I did see the university, but also some of the monuments is what I was going to say. And, um, the thing that I love the most about dc, a few things. There's a lot of green space, there's a lot of walkable space and gorgeous homes and architecture that have a very city feel. But it's that community city kind of feel, if that makes sense at all.

Marco:  Of course.

Amanda:  Um, because it's been a city for a long time. So some of the homes are really like the townhouses and things like that are really incredible. Um, I went to the Vietnam Memorial, among other things, which is a beautiful, um, space, in fact. And the thing I love the most about it is that everybody was really, um, interested, interesting and smart.

Marco:  Wow.

Amanda:  It's a smart city. It's a city for people who want to discuss political ideals, no matter where you fall on that spectrum. It's a city for people who love food. The food was really great because it's a city that caters to people from all over the world. So it has to have, um, a vibrancy, a welcomeness to people from all over the world. And there's so much. I've never been in the Smithsonian.

Marco:  I've been.

Amanda:  So if I go back, I'd like to go there. Tell us about that.

Marco:  I will. But first I want to ask you, while in Washington, did you happen to be, or enjoy any patios or terraces?

Amanda:  Um, I did. It was quite a long time ago. Um, but I do think there was at least one restaurant that overlooked the mall. Um, and, uh, that was amazing. I've been to a lot and I have to say that, um, that, uh, very brilliantly done segue is actually today's show idea, which comes from Alison Harding Shogalev. I hope I'm saying that right, who's one of our amazing listeners.

Marco:  And feel free to reach out to us on Instagram, as Alison did with Show Ideas, answering, uh, one of my Instagram questions. With which is what do you want to hear? And today we're going to talk about patios and terraces.

Amanda:  So tell me about one of yours.

Marco:  Okay. I think I need to start, Amanda, with our patio and how much I love what it has become, mainly thanks to you.

Amanda:  That's very sweet. Thank you.

Marco:  We live in the city, and so we have a very proportionally appropriate backyard. Another way to say small, the Brits

Amanda:  would say a small garden in the back. They call everything a garden if it's outdoor space.

Marco:  And we have a large Norwegian maple tree back there.

Amanda:  We do.

Marco:  Which provides quite a bit of shade. Mhm. And prior to what we did, there was a little patch of grass that got no sun. So it was mainly dirt with a few little grass bricks.

Amanda:  Yeah. It wasn't really a great backspace, that's for sure.

Marco:  It was the kind of thing that if you saw it, you said, m. Maybe I'll just stay inside instead of enjoying the outside.

Amanda:  Yeah.

Marco:  But Amanda had the brilliant idea of making it all patio, and we did that. And then Amanda has a lot of, as you might know, design inspiration, design ideas. Um, you love watching those home shows, so you, you sort of designed how the backyard would look. And it's a beautiful space, which I love going to. And ah, I love celebrating with you and our friends out there. We bring our indoor plants out.

Amanda:  We do. We see who. Those poor plants, man, they, they, they put in a lot of time over the winter and we see who can make it through the winter, and then they go back out at the end.

Marco:  And because we're north and south facing, they don't get as much sun as they'd probably like.

Amanda:  Yeah.

Marco:  So whoever, whoever makes it through the winter gets to go outside.

Amanda:  Yeah.

Marco:  And, uh, some of our monsteras got a little bit too much sun.

Amanda:  It was an incredibly, incredibly hot week this week. And that's not normally our problem when we bring them out. Usually the concern is, is it cold enough? Is it too cold at night? Especially in the spring and early summer months.

Marco:  Um, however, we brought my beautiful monsteras out, and I think I put them too much in the sun. And those poor things, they got a little bit scorched. But I'm hopeful that they're hardy and

Amanda:  they've weathered the heat and hopefully they realize that they have a nice, long, hopefully more temperate summer ahead of them. And listen, I'm just sending them all the good vibes that they're gonna survive.

Marco:  Exactly. So I'll start there. That's one of my favorite patios, is the patio that we have at home. But if I reflect back, maybe you can tell us the difference between a terrace and a patio. Because I'm just going to talk about the patios I've been to.

Amanda:  Okay.

Marco:  In Mexico City with Daniela Vlascalic on the rooftop of some hotel we went to. And it was like one of those places where it's really cool and hip and there's a lot of good looking young people there. And we were there.

Amanda:  I wasn't there.

Marco:  You weren't there.

Amanda:  Okay.

Marco:  Because it was one.

Amanda:  But I did. I was at a very swanky place with Daniela, so I thought you meant there, but that was somewhere else.

Marco:  It was Sao Paulo, Brazil, not Mexico City.

Amanda:  Very different countries.

Marco:  Different countries. But I was there with Daniela, David Snellgrove and our bosses because we were there for work. And we went to the swanky rooftop inn spot in Sao Paulo, and everybody was drinking these delightful drinks and everyone was having a lovely time and the DJ was fantastic and the sun was sort of setting. We all had this beautiful glow on us and it was wonderful.

Amanda:  Nice. That's so nice. Um, well, it's funny that you said that because you actually reminded me of, um. And I don't normally know what we're going to talk about, but I had a little bit of a tip off that we were going to talk about something about outdoor spaces today, but this wasn't the one that immediately sprang to mind. But now that you've said that, because you said Mexico City by accident, but actually I'm thinking of a beautiful patio that we sat on in Mexico City, of which there are many in that city. But I'm thinking of the, um, square in Koya Khan near Frida Kahlo's house, and lots of other things. We may have talked about it on this podcast before. There's a series of about four or five restaurants in that little square. And, um, beautiful patio there. Gorgeous. That overlooks sort of part of that town square fountain. And there's streets kind of coming off of each part of the square, including Frida Kahlo's house. So it's definitely an artistic area, a vibrant and colorful area. But also there's, you know, pigeons, um, you know, trying to see what they can find there.

Marco:  Some artistic inspiration. Being able to see Frida Kahlo's house.

Amanda:  The type of place you could have, um, you know, a cafe con leche and just sit and wander and. Or dream. Just sit and dream and people watch or, you know, wander around and meander and have a little, um, you know, A churro from one place, a coffee from another. So I would say Koya Khan. Those patios. There's a few there.

Marco:  I see.

Amanda:  But collectively are really nice. Now, you asked me the difference between a terrace and a patio.

Marco:  Yes.

Amanda:  So they're both outdoor areas that are usually attached to a building like a restaurant or a house like ours. Um, they're designed for people to enjoy the outdoors and to spend time outside. However, there are differences because I don't know that I would know this either.

Marco:  I used to live on a street called Twilight Terrace.

Amanda:  You did.

Marco:  So I never quite knew what a terrace was. Of course, I know what a patio is, but I.

Amanda:  Okay, well, I feel like I know what a patio is more, so I'm gonna start with that definition. A patio is a ground level outdoor area that is usually directly connected to the main floor of a house. Or patios are often located in the backyard or garden area. They can be made of concrete or brick. They are typically used for outdoor dining, outdoor relaxation, or entertaining guests.

Marco:  So my patio in Sao Paulo wouldn't be considered a patio. So I was wrong there.

Amanda:  Interesting.

Marco:  Because it's not on the ground. Uh, it was really high up in a hotel.

Amanda:  But our backyard, which I wasn't sure I would call that a patio, that is for sure. We use it for outdoor dining and for entertaining. And it is attached. So. All right, so then what is a terrace? Everyone needs to know.

Marco:  Yeah.

Amanda:  Uh, it is built on a higher level than the ground around it. Terraces are often found on the upper floors of buildings. So this Sao Paulo place might be exactly that. Uh, like apartments or houses. It says here.

Marco:  Probably hotels as well.

Amanda:  Right, Exactly. And they provide a great view of the surrounding area, which you said it did. They can be made of materials, again, wood, stone, concrete. Sometimes they have walls around them for safety or railings. So you are actually on a terrace, not a patio.

Marco:  Wow. So that brings me to what is a lanai?

Amanda:  Now, my understanding of a lanai is that it's a decked area. So it's sort of, uh, a decked area within a patio.

Marco:  Well, according to a quick search, it says a lanai is a traditional Hawaiian structure, which is a private space attached to an apartment house or hotel and typically features at least one wall open to the elements.

Amanda:  Okay.

Marco:  It can act as a second living room and is typically found in warmer clients.

Amanda:  Okay. So it's a bit more attached and covered, but it does have one open space or wall.

Marco:  I think, like your parents place, you can open that whole screen, uh, door, and then you can be outside or in.

Amanda:  Mhm.

Marco:  And so you go from your inside out, but it's all open.

Amanda:  Right. So it's actually funny that you said lanai and I m. Did know that was a Hawaiian word because I immediately was thinking about a place in Hawaii we went to. Not this last time, in fact, but on the Big island of Hawaii.

Marco:  Okay.

Amanda:  Now, I don't know if you remember this, but it was the last place we stopped for coffee. Just driving around the island. We were coming back up that day. We might have even been flying out that day, I don't know. But it was sort of the Kona part, so the west part of the Hawaiian island. And it's called, uh, Kleikikua. Um, it's near where Captain Cook. There's like a Captain Cook monument there.

Marco:  Oh yes, yes, yes.

Amanda:  Do you remember stopping for coffee? It actually, it was beautiful. And then it started raining and we were overlooking mountains and coffee plantations, I believe there, and we just stopped, got a coffee. There was nobody else there, but it was a proper lanai because there was that open wall between.

Marco:  You remember? I do.

Amanda:  And then you looked at the view and it was just this incredible view of rolling green, lush hills and plantations and coffee trees. Yeah. And the streets storming it. Like the, the. The mist of the clouds that never quite go away in Hawaii, but then never quite. They're just always kind of there, lingering. That. That lingering cloud that kind of hangs over and protects Hawaii. Um, that's the first one I thought of, actually.

Marco:  You. You made me think of. So if we go from Kona on the Big island to Hilo on the Big Island.

Amanda:  Mhm.

Marco:  And I may have said this before on the podcast, but bear with me. So we found an Airbnb and we got to Hilo late at night. So we were able to take our luggage to our room.

Amanda:  Mhm.

Marco:  And there was this kind of walkway, lanai. Like it was a walkway. Then it opened to Illinai.

Amanda:  Mhm.

Marco:  And then our room attached to. To the lanai and I was. We couldn't really see because it was pitch black.

Amanda:  Right.

Marco:  And there's not a lot of light pollution there and whatnot. So true. Get into our room and we could hear some sounds, but we couldn't make out with those sounds. Once again, it was late at night.

Amanda:  Mhm.

Marco:  We had a wonderful place to rest our heads. It was a wonderful place. In the morning, breakfast was provided. I opened our door, went out on the lanai and saw that some of the sounds we heard was a waterfall in Our backyard.

Amanda:  Right.

Marco:  That was on the property. It was just this beautiful waterfall, a natural waterfall. Not a man or person built one.

Amanda:  And it was just, it was huge

Marco:  with the tropical, uh, plants, including monsteras all around. It was wonderful.

Amanda:  It was, it was gorgeous. And uh, the guy that ran the place, it was his home and he was just a sort of part of his home.

Marco:  And.

Amanda:  And uh, he would always make sure we had breakfast ready on the lanai, uh, on the terrace overlooking, I guess lanai were in Hawaii, overlooking this waterfall, this gorgeous waterfall. Um, you know, just simple breakfast, coffee, pineapple. But beautiful.

Marco:  And then I have one last place before we end this episode.

Amanda:  Okay.

Marco:  So I was a tour guide in Europe, in Italy in particular.

Amanda:  Mhm.

Marco:  And I was very fortunate because I got to see quite a bit of Tuscany because one of my travel areas was Tuscany. M and we would go to this beautiful hotel and it was in Tuscany. And it was a former monastery. No, where do convent. That's where nuns used to, right?

Amanda:  Yes.

Marco:  So it was a former convent that had been transformed into this beautiful, beautiful hotel.

Amanda:  Right.

Marco:  And they had this patio because it's on the first floor. Was it on the second floor with pavers where you could have breakfast and coffee. And it just out. You just saw the rolling hills of Tuscany with this monastery. Parts of the monastery in your view. Hm. It was gorgeous and delightful. And of course the breakfast that you would get was wonderful, beautiful. And when the sun would set. There's something about when the sun sets in Tuscany, the colors that come, come out of that sunset are just delightful.

Amanda:  Yeah. Uh, I was thinking of Italy too. Thinking of the terraces of San Gimignano. We have some pictures there. And again those rolling hills. Gorgeous.

Marco:  And I have another story, uh, with regards to that particular place, but I won't tell it here. I'll tell it on the patron episode because it's. It gets a little bit funky. Um, shall we say.

Amanda:  Well, that's where all the funky people go to Patreon. So I guess we'll head on over there.

Marco:  And that said, Amanda, um, let me ask you this. When it comes to a patio.

Amanda:  Mhm.

Marco:  What is important to you?

Amanda:  Greenery.

Marco:  Oh really?

Amanda:  Yeah.

Marco:  I want to guess Comfortable seating.

Amanda:  Greenery is the most important thing.

Marco:  Okay.

Amanda:  Yeah. Because if there's any kind of outdoor exposure, you want it to feel lush and comforting. And to me, plants and plant life in any form, flowers, any form, um, is life and hope and creativity and rebirth, you know, and so if it's a patio that doesn't have any of That. I don't know. For me, it's. It's just a little sterile and.

Marco:  Sure.

Amanda:  And I, uh, need to have that greenery around.

Marco:  So would that be one of the things that inspires you in an outdoor space?

Amanda:  Yeah. And I'm not saying it has to be a lush oasis, although I would never say no to one. It can be sparks greenery that's, you know, um, very carefully put around certain places. I love having a lot of wood. I do love wood. Our whole back patio is all wood because I love wood.

Marco:  And you don't have a problem with corrugated metal, whereas that's not for me.

Amanda:  I like a corrugated. I could do a corrugated metal. I like different materials.

Marco:  Sure.

Amanda:  But when all things are equal, I prefer the natural materials. So cedar, lush greenery, stone, that type of thing.

Marco:  What else is something you want in a space that you find inspiring?

Amanda:  I just like things to be well appointed. So I become really. I know when we set ours up every year, and I do it a little differently every year, I like having things deliberate.

Marco:  Okay.

Amanda:  I don't like something that's. I don't like any mess out there.

Marco:  Sure.

Amanda:  And yet if there's a little, it's okay. If it's nature's mess. I just don't like human mess.

Marco:  Fair.

Amanda:  I like something even. There's an evenness I need.

Marco:  I like comfortable seating and funk seating.

Amanda:  What does that mean?

Marco:  So, you know, sometimes you go in these. They're like rattan eggs where you kind of sit back and it's suspended.

Amanda:  Yeah.

Marco:  For me, that's kind of funky.

Amanda:  So I didn't think you like those.

Marco:  I do.

Amanda:  You do?

Marco:  There was one. We were somewhere, I want to say Dominican Republic.

Amanda:  It was Dominic. I know where you mean. It was Dominican.

Marco:  And it kind of looked like those beehives that people draw that have, like, a cone top. And it was like, uh, all rattan. I was in a bad mood, I'll admit it. And Amanda kind of just said, go in the beehive and just relax. And I went in there, and I heard no other sounds while Amanda dealt with whatever the issue was. And I just chilled, and everything was fine.

Amanda:  And everything was fine. Because it's always going to be fine, especially in the Dominican.

Marco:  It's true. It's true. And, Amanda, I hope this episode was fine for our listeners. In particular, I want to say thank you to Allison for the suggestion of today's topics. Um, shout out to Nima Kharazi. Congratulations from our podcast to yours and to all our listeners, thank you for listening to us as we talk about our journeys to patios, terraces and lanais, too. Until next time, we hope you were able to listen and sleep, Sam.