Create an oasis of calm outside with seasonal plants and savviness
“Bring the outside in” is an oft-spouted piece of advice from interior designers and proud homeowners who seek to draw inspiration from nature within their properties. They do so by combining art pieces, floral arrangements and colour palettes that reflect the natural landscape of the exterior to create a holistic sense of place.
Conversely, outdoor design schemes are increasingly becoming stylish and comfortable extensions of indoor spaces. Taking the inside out, as it were, creates open-air functional places for entertaining with a backdrop of flora and fauna.
Few could have envisaged that so much of last year would necessarily be spent indoors. In the current climate, socialising with and entertaining friends and family takes on special poignancy, and is better done outdoors, as this more easily facilitates social distancing and the ventilation that helps to keep us Covidsafe. The cooler months are also an ideal time to make the most of urban gardens or balcony spaces with creative furnishing and planting ideas.
Irishman Michael O’Riordan wanted to make his “outdoor room” an extension of his family’s dining room. The Dubai resident drew inspiration from Pinterest to design a chic garden area with festoon lighting at his Mira villa home off Al Qudra Road.
“I wanted an outdoor space where we could enjoy a coffee, read a book and so on … my idea was to repurpose and plant up a chest of drawers, and treat this and other items with chalk paint for a unified look,” says O’Riordan.
This is his first growing season in the community, where the garden had previously been laid with astro turf, but nothing else. Mindful that rental living is sometimes transitory, he wanted to create something that had the potential to be “packed up and put on the back of a truck to move if needed”, and he realised the entire project for under Dh2,500.
Furniture was sourced from BuFaisal General Trading, a thrift store and brocante-style warehouse in Ajman stuffed with pre-loved items. From here, O’Riordan got wooden garden chairs, a chest of drawers, galvanised steel planters, a large mirror and a couple of metal garden obelisks, all for under Dh500.
Inexpensive chalk paint in soft grey, sold at Ace Hardware and Homesmith, was applied directly to the wood to upcycle the chest of drawers, chairs and other items to create a unified look.
The perimeter borders of O’Riordan’s garden are set with white stones and inter-planted with bougainvillaea, oleander and a variety trailing plants, along with pennisetum or fountain grass – which doesn’t require much water, is inexpensive and creates a lush but low-maintenance backdrop for everything else.
For plants, O’Riordan went to Al Warsan and some of the small plant markets around Jumeirah.
“We’re in petunia season now, so hot, vibrant colours are introduced into the design with strong pinks and purples. Once that opportunity is finished, I’ll move on to something else,” says O’Riordan.
He advises looking at what the municipalities are planting at roundabouts and in beds around the community to judge what does well and to get a steer on what to incorporate into seasonal schemes once the weather gets hotter.
Vinca is a good option for warmer months, although with care some existing plants can be cut back or placed into more shade so they can last the summer.
Having so much of the garden remaining portable ensures things can be moved around to look their best and this also facilitates individual care when it gets hotter.
The green-fingered O’Riordan has enjoyed some success taking cuttings, too, and has cultivated a number of lantana plants from a larger specimen he found locally. Consequently, with a little planning, the scheme can be a mass of colour all year round.
An attractive outdoor space does not necessarily require a massive garden, either; local Facebook group Balcony Garden provides plenty of inspiration on how to make the most of small spaces or balconies, showing that limited size is no bar to designing the perfect oasis with plants.
It’s well documented that being outdoors and connecting with nature – even if it’s only to nurture a few tomato plants and geraniums – enhances well-being. Add to that clever design and a little plant know-how and, for a relatively small investment, you can make your sliver of outdoor space as stylish as your home’s interior.