Inspirations For The Best Outdoor Living in Summer: Garden Style Guide 2021

Summer is almost upon us and with it days and evenings of lounging outside, eating outside, barbecuing and socialising – now is the time to pep up the outdoor furniture and accessories and ensure the garden matches your home in the style stakes. Here are a few pointers on how to develop some garden style.

Hard landscaping is a must if you’re going to really start living in the great outdoors of the garden – a good quality base, either paving, cladding or chippings, ensures that furniture sits safely and steady and damage to lawn areas is minimised. Choosing the location for hard landscaping is also important – whilst directly outside the door makes sense, there might be a sun spot at the back of the garden that would also be ideal.

Soften the edges of paving/cladding with some strategically placed pots – this is a good point to start laying out the style guide, whether you choose rustic country cottage or sleek minimal designer, there needs to be a common thread running through from the ground, accessories, lighting and furniture.

Good quality garden furniture can completely change the experience of a garden, having somewhere comfortable to both lounge and eat makes it a much more utilitarian space and will ensure that you get the most out of it. Whether you opt for retro sunbeds with quilted covers of Mexican string spun hammocks, chilling options are a must – again location is all-important, are you a sun lover or shade bird? Position accordingly. Plus, sheds are a good way to protect your investments and stash furniture out of the elements.

One of the beauties of summer is the chance to cook outside over hot coals – barbecuing is so very different from sweating over a hot stove in the kitchen, for a start men seem to enjoy it… it’s quick, easy, and keeps the washing up at a minimum. Choice of barbecue should be dictated again by style, but also by the number of people it regularly needs to cater for and whether you want it to be built-in or portable. The price range for barbecues is massive; from quick self-build brick designs to expensive gas-powered beasts.

Outdoor dining in the warmth of the summer evening is pretty idyllic and the perfectly thought out garden space should accommodate nighttime entertaining, as well as daytime lounging. Source heat with a fire pit or chimenea and invest in all manner of outdoor lighting designs, from solar-powered fairy lights and citronella lanterns to sunken decking lighting and LED strings.