Summer living

Make the warmer weeks even more special both in the garden and inside the home. Gabrielle Fagan gives us some top tips for making the summer last

Transform your home and garden during the warm weather months with our style guide.

Going away on holiday is lovely but there’s nothing nicer than enjoying sunny days at home (no packing, flight delays, crowds or mozzies to contend with). So why not turn your home into its own summer destination by creating a desert-inspired setting, perhaps even an outdoor cinema, beautiful balcony, and children’s play area?

Here’s how to go about it...

HOTHOUSE STYLE

Even if the weather’s changeable, you can turn up the heat at home with decor inspired by the dessert and tropical zones.

“I am obsessed with cacti, so I jumped at the chance of creating my own collection,” says designer, Abigail Ahern (abigailahern.com).

“My new botanicals range at Debenhams is desert-inspired and I’ve been playing with scale, which is one of my trademarks, and the result is these fabulous jumbo-sized faux cacti.”

TIP: An Exotic leaves mural, from £26 per square metre, Wallsauce (www. wallsauce.com), could be the perfect sultry backdrop for a room.

MOVIE ZONE

Bring Hollywood to the garden with your own outdoor movie theatre...

“The simple pleasures of entertaining family and friends on a summer evening doesn’t need to be complicated or expensive,” says Marianne Shillingford, creative director at Cuprinol (www. cuprinol.co.uk).

“By day, a fence is just a fence, but by night, with the addition of a plain white sheet, it can transform into a cinema screen. Add a string of lights, wooden pallets, some old cane furniture, throw a few rugs down, and view it in style.”

TIP: Ramp up the “big screen” effect with an American originals popcorn maker, £19.99, Argos (www.argos.co.uk), and pin up a couple of movie posters.

BALCONY BOOST

Just a few stylish additions can transform even a tiny patio or balcony into an outdoor haven...

“There’s a knack to al fresco living when space is limited and you’re confined to a balcony – all it takes is a little creativity,” says Claudia Roberts, co-owner of new furnishings and fashion brand Pignut (pignut.co.uk).

“Choose box cushions with handles, oil-coated tablecloths, and fake it with fabrics – introduce colour and even wildlife with animal or bird prints, and gaily patterned bunting.”

TIP: Green up a balcony wall or railings with hanging pots and window boxes. Crocus (www.crocus.co.uk) has a brilliant selection.

PLAY AND DISPLAY

Create a special corner for children to capture and encourage little imaginations.

“A family garden should be fun, versatile, and practical and kids love a corner in it that they can make their own,” says Marianne Shillingford.

“Transform a fence into a sunny-skies outlook by using Cuprinol’s Misty Lake and then, when dry, create the clouds.

“With chalk, draw a cloud outline onto a piece of card then cut out to create a template. Position your template on the fence and draw around it with chalk. Fill in the cloud shapes with a small paint brush and White Daisy paint.”

TIP: Fill a couple of small crates with sand and tiny plants, which can be a mini-landscape for model figurines.

By day a fence is just a fence, but by night, with the addition of a plain white sheet, it can transform into a cinema screen