Garden Style
Enjoy lazy days and star-lit nights in your beautifully designed outdoor space – with great garden style!
If spending as much time as possible in the garden is your aim, then take a few simple steps to create a gorgeous environment in which you can relax, dine al fresco or entertain friends. You can achieve this whether you have a spacious lawn, a small balcony or a courtyard patio to create a great garden style.
Choose beautiful furniture
Pop a simple chair in a quiet corner, with a stool or coffee table nearby, and you’ll have the perfect spot for spending time with a good book or unwinding with a drink. For two people – especially if you don’t have much space – a bistro dining set is inexpensive and convenient.
For family meals and entertaining, place a larger, sturdier table close enough to the house to be convenient for carrying food and drink in and out. A sofa or bench seat with plump cushions is ideal when you want to relax in the sun.
Layer your lighting
Adding lighting to your garden creates atmosphere, helps guide you in the dark and provides additional security. If you’re planning landscaping work, including a permanent outdoor lighting circuit is a good idea, but quick fixes are highly effective.
You have two options: solar or battery power. The good news is they’re often relatively inexpensive, and quick and easy to install. Why not hang a paper globe over a dining table, stand lanterns along a pathway and entwine string lights over a fence, around a tree or across the top of a gazebo? Portable LED lamps are great on a dining table, beside the barbecue, on a coffee table or standing in the porch. Just charge them before you need them. Another option is old-school with candles and night lights, protected from breezes in clear or coloured lanterns and jars.
Set the table
It’s all too easy to bring food outside and not really consider the setting. However, if you want to make your meal in the garden feel really special, lay your table in advance. Spread a pretty cloth over the top or a runner along the centre, add co-ordinating place mats, and arrange your most attractive crockery and glassware, cutlery and a jug of water. Complete the effect with some table lamps and a vase of garden flowers.
Add plenty of accessories
Bring the inside out by adding colour, pattern and texture in the form of textiles and other accessories. Prop co-ordinating scatter cushions on seats and drape complementary throws over the backs in case the day turns cool. Add an outdoor rug (made from polypropylene to withstand the weather) to soften hard surfaces and give that extra feeling of homeliness. You could also prop a large mirror in a dark corner, or hang one on a wall, to reflect additional light and add decorative interest.
Think about grouping planters together to make everything look even more lush, or take the idea further with a tall, tiered planter or two for additional height.
Private life If your garden is overlooked, there are a few things you can do. You may be able to increase the height of your fencing or add some vertical trellis. Plant some fast-growing, perhaps evergreen, climbers (they can be put in a tall pot) for results in a year’s time. An arbour, gazebo, pergola or similar will provide a delightful place for a morning coffee or to linger over a barbecue – all the more so if you add lighting and even lightweight curtains. This also creates a shady spot away from midday sun, as do awnings and canopies. For an instant fix, use a pretty parasol, which can be moved wherever necessary. This introduces colour and pattern too.
Image: (c) Cotswold Co (Nesto)
Find other Homes & Interiors features here.