Does your garden need a boost? A few buys or quick tricks can transform your patch from tired and dated into stylish and inviting.
From greening up walls with lush botanics to taking indoor design outside, here’s how to make the most of your outdoor space…
Inside/outside style
Turn your garden, terrace or balcony into an extension of your interior living space. Create a statement with a pastel colour-washed wall or fence, and add pops of bolt accent colour by accessorising with soft furnishings such as botanical-print cushions, as in the picture above.
Potted plants also enhance the outdoor ‘room’ feel, so add a plant shelf to a wall or fence. Get creative with flooring, too, by using gravel or slate as your landscaping material.
Palmira corner sofa set with side table, £850.50; Hathi coral cushion, £30; Pico pasta bowl, £8.50; Fleur cushion, £30; large punched metal vase, £60, all RJR. John Rocha at debenhams.com
A room of your own
Who doesn’t lust after a “she shed”? It’s the perfect place to relax and have a bit of ‘me-time’ with crafts, sewing or yoga. Plus, it’s a great way to extend your home into your garden.
The Posh Shed Company MD Richard Frost explains, “More people are maximising the space available in their gardens by using sheds as a way of extending their home.”
Design, decoration and furnishing set she sheds apart from the common garden variety. Time to channel your interior designer and create the shed of your dreams.
The Gothic shed, from £2,800 for 6x4ft, theposhshedcompany.co.uk
Al fresco cooking trends
Entertaining in the garden is more popular than ever, but consumers are looking for more than a traditional barbecue.
Home smoking has become a trend. John Lewis has seen a surge in popularity for the Landmann Tennessee Smoker, with sales up 1,095%. The product is so popular that John Lewis is introducing a second model this year.
Meanwhile, barbecues are getting more technical. Some offer more than one surface and different sections to cook on, and these gourmet designs have seen a 132% rise in sales.
BergHOFF ceramic oven charcoal BBQ, £999; Big Green Egg 3-piece barbecue tool set, £60; Alta table and 4 chairs, £749; all johnlewis.com
Perfect for sharing
Double day beds with padded headrests are the luxe option when you want to lounge in the garden.
Now available in a variety of materials including metal, rattan and wood, they range from simple sun lounger styles to more sophisticated designs, with integral canopies or curtains and slide-out tables.
Handwoven Evesham double sun lounger in all-weather synthetic rattan with fully waterproof cushions, £2,299, bridgman.co.uk
Scandi-style noir
Contemporary black adds a touch of glamour and makes the greenery stand out. Combine this with a palette of white and grey and it will add Scandi cool.
Choose black garden furniture or dark accessories like planters, lanterns or even a fire pit/ To create a dramatic backdrop, transform a tired fence or shed with an inky blank stain.
Eos by Matthew Hilton powder-coated aluminium garden bench, £315; table, £477; and side chairs, £144 each, all heals.com
Leafy living walls
The trend for lush and leafy greenery that started in 2017 continues to gather pace, and this year sees the launch of living wall planters.
The planters can be fitted onto a fence or even the side of a garden shed. Choose low-maintenance plants that enjoy the high life, such as ferns and grasses.
Living walls have many benefits. “A living wall is a great way to introduce greenery into your home and refresh a space, creating a modern and sophisticated look,” says Marcus Eyles of Dobbies Garden Centres.
They also contribute to improving urban air quality and help to screen out noise.
Living Wall Planters, £9.99 each (each one holds three plants); planted with ferns Cyrtomium clivicola, dryopteris erythrosora and Dryopteris remota, all £6.99 each, and grasses Carex Evergold, Carex Ice Dance and Carex Prairie Fire, all £6.99 each; Alexander Rose Roble table and four chairs, £1,799; all dobbies.co.uk
