If you’re like us, you feel like summer can’t come fast enough. A great way to prepare for the sunny season is to show your outdoor areas some much-needed love, and there’s nothing like a great garden setup to make the most of the warmer months. If that sounds like too much of a commitment, fear not! You can make any ordinary garden into a magical oasis with just a few, smart and easy edits. Here are our tips for the yard revamp you need to get you into the summer mood.
Flowing spaces
Your interior should communicate with your exterior. That means there should be a coherent thread, a recognizable style, running through both spaces to tie them together. Get outdoor lighting in a similar style and with matching kind of light, meaning don’t clash cold with warm. Alternatively, opt for colour matching in your rugs and cushions, or borrow some bits and bobs from inside to place around your garden.
Mix & match
That being said, a garden or terrace is a lot more forgiving and easy to decorate than a room, so you can go eclectic and be more daring here. Get a boho chic lounge set, an easy, breezy hammock, or a bunch of mismatched candles — it’ll work in the space, because anything cosy works outside.
Multipurpose spaces
You know what they say: your garden is your oyster. Remember to set it up so it lends itself to a variety of activities throughout the spring and summer months: lazy Sundays of reading in the hanging chair, post-work cocktail parties or a grill fest with friends, complete with a barbecue and s’mores, or an outdoor spa day, just for yourself.
Outdoors is for everybody
Whether you live alone or have kids and/or four-legged friends at home, whether your outdoors is a romantic city balcony or a lush garden, make sure you arrange (and decorate) your outside spaces in a way that’s right for everyone. Enough outdoor furniture — whether garden stools or outdoor beanbags — for everyone, sturdy enough to withstand a lot of use; and don’t forget fun-proof deco or a fire pit for chilly nights later in the summer.
Brunch, lunch, dinner
Eating a great meal outside is a joy, any time of day. Repurpose your garden corner lounge set and make it into a fancy al-fresco restaurant — all you need now is a great outdoor dining set (think heftier, natural materials like clay, slate, or cast iron) and someone to actually cook the food, and you’re all set.