Yahoo Finance The hottest new trend this heatwave: kit out your garden like your living room with rugs, lamps and sofas
In this sticky, unrelenting heatwave, your living room is often the last place you want to be. Now is the time of year to make full use of your garden – and incorporate it into your home as if it was simply another reception room.
Styling your garden as if it were an extension of the living room has become one of the biggest decorating trends. Instagram is awash with people moving rugs, lamps and soft furnishings out into the garden – bringing the indoors out in the manner of an extravagant Georgian picnic. Designers have responded by making ranges of garden furniture that look like they might be more suited to a cosy lounge than a patio.
“With space at such a premium, the idea of being able to extend your living room to your outside area is genius,” says interior designer Samantha Kennell of SLK Interior Decoration. She finds that clever styling tricks, such as adding rugs to different zones, can transform the way you entertain, dine and relax – all without the price tag of a costly extension.
Stuart Robertson, design director of architectural studio 23+GS/318, recommends starting with a structure: “Adding something like a timber pergola, a cast iron one with traditional railings and deck, a light tensile sail structure or retractable awning cannot only look beautiful, but helps with the practicalities of making these spaces more usable.”
It’s not necessary to build anything; the perfect space can be created with decorative touches alone. “For me, the most important part of making an outside space really special is to incorporate lighting,” says interior designer Lauren Gilberthorpe.
It’s not necessary to build anything; the perfect space can be created with decorative touches alone
“Consider lighting different levels throughout the space, such as uplighting trees or shrubs from below, or washing light down walls. Don’t forget candles and string lanterns for atmosphere.” For instant transformation, string up some festoon lights, (£35; gardentrading.co.uk).
When the temperature eventually falls, you can combat the chill of the evenings by using outdoor floor lamps. Gilberthope recommends one that provides soft, warm light, heaters and speakers all in one, by a Belgium company called HeatSail (price on request; heatsail.com/en).
That’s not the only way to provide warmth to a patio. As well as a collection of blankets that you can keep ready to throw over guests, you could consider a fire pit. “External fireplaces and pits can provide a focal point, as well as providing some much-needed comfort in cooler evenings,” Robertson says. To really embrace the inside-out styling trend, opt for a free-standing wood-burning stove (£425; coxandcox.co.uk). You can arrange your furniture around it, just as you would in your living room.
To add a little cosiness to your al fresco snug, rugs are now gaining popularity. “There are many outdoor rug designs that look fantastic and add a pop of colour or a cool pattern,” says Kennell. “It ‘zones’ an area and sets the space apart, really showing your visitors that you have considered and orchestrated the space.”
Ben Hanley, head of home styling at West Elm, agrees. “Outdoor rugs allow for seasonal versatility, bringing your personal style into the garden and updating your deck or patio areas without a pricey landscape overhaul.”
Of course, you’re going to need somewhere to sit, and a wooden bench doesn’t always cut it for a real garden living room. “Outdoor furniture is becoming increasingly design-led with many designs now looking as if they could belong inside,” Kennell says.
One example is made.com’s Jonah garden sofa, £399, which is designed for outdoor use. It also matches the interior range, helping to create a connected inside/outside look. It pairs well with the Elsa outdoor floor lamp (£120; coxandcox.co.uk). And while you’re at it, complete the “room” with a drinks trolley (£95; gardentrading.co.uk) for a relaxed cocktail party vibe.
If you don’t have the budget for a whole new three-piece suite for outdoors, just accessorise. “Many designers now offer showerproof fabrics and cushions that add an extra touch of glamour to an outside space,” Kennell says. H&M Home has some vibrant waterproof cushions that go beyond the usual beiges and greens.
If you want any chance of getting to relax on your cushions with kids about, you have to make it fun for them, too. Children’s specialist store Scandibørn has stylish options to bring the living room outside, such as its round beanbag or tepee.
It all comes down to how much you want to spend for what may usually be just a few nights of use per year. “There’s all kinds of fun stuff you can try,” Robertson says. “Barbecues, hot tubs, external speakers, cinemas, play structures… anything is possible.”