KEY TIPS

If a sloping site or split-level house prevents direct access to your outside space, and you can’t a ord to build a room at garden level, consider these ways to link house and garden.

Remove a window overlooking the garden, then lower the sill and replace it with a full-height French window and a Juliet balcony so you feel closer to the garden. An armchair near the window with doors opening inwards will let you enjoy better views, more daylight and the smell of the outdoors.

Have a full balcony, preferably with steps to the garden, that’s large enough for planters and pots to give it a garden feel.