Your garden just got a lot smarter...
It’s been dubbed the ‘living room garden’- a fresh new take on bringing the inside out. Jessica Doyle explains
With the late May bank holiday upon us – and National Barbecue Week kicking off on Monday – now is the time to make your garden summer-ready. Figures released by the website Houzz suggest that one in seven of us have a usable outdoor area that is larger than that inside our home, and we’re far more likely to make use of it if we put some effort into making it comfortable. “People talk about bringing the outside in, but when deciding on your garden furniture, think about taking the inside out,” says Rebecca Malyon, head of design at furniture company Neptune.
“We’re seeing a trend for people wanting to make their outdoor space as inviting as their interior. It’s more than just adding a sofa; look at your living room and emulate aspects such as coffee tables and armchairs. Think about cushions, blankets and other touches that will make it feel like a genuine room.”
So what are the key trends for decorating your outside space this summer?
Pops of colour
Blue and white is a favourite at this time of year, and there’s plenty of it around this season, with companies such as Oka and H&M Home offering the coastal look. Elsewhere, the tropical trend is still going strong, with bright colours and leafy prints. “This year we have seen a move towards customers choosing punchier pieces,” says John Lewis’s Living buyer, Vicky Angell. “Natural colours and finishes are still popular, but more of us are becoming braver in our outdoor furniture – looking to inject pops of vibrant colour.” The company’s new Poolside collection is inspired by David Hockney’s mid-century LA, with graphic prints that will brighten up even the shadiest space.
New materials
Weatherproof textiles have shed their plasticky look, thanks to innovative new man-made materials with the softness of cotton. Weaver Green’s indoor/outdoor rugs and cushions look and feel like fabric, but are made from discarded plastic bottles, which makes them strong and washable. Nisi Living also uses recycled plastic to create outdoor cushions and pouffes in fuchsia, cobalt and acid yellow. To style lawns and patios, Alternative Flooring has a range of indoor/ outdoor rugs that look like sisal, while The Rug Company’s new Perennials collection of rugs, inspired by the architecture of Palm Springs, are fade and stain resistant, and can be left outside all summer long.
Modern lines
Furniture doesn’t have to be chunky to withstand the odd summer storm; elegant chairs and tables in hi-tech materials are designed to be left out in all weathers. New to the UK, Australian brand SP01 offers slimline garden chairs and tables that are deceptively robust. “In Australia, we go to great lengths to ensure outdoor furniture is fit for purpose,” says Matt Lorrain, the brand’s head of product design. “But the environment in big cities elsewhere in the world can be almost as harsh because of air pollution.”
They use a combination of protective coatings, some taken from the car-manufacturing industry and marine-grade fabrics, to ensure the pieces can withstand the vagaries of the British climate.
Moroso similarly does a strong line in design-led, stackable chairs, while Matthew Hilton’s collection for Heal’s is in durable powder-coated aluminium. The Shanghai-based design firm Stellar Works, which opened its first UK showroom in Clerkenwell this week, has also used powder-coated aluminium on its Ming chair, a sculptural design by Neri&hu.
Wood and woven
The best new wooden furniture is sleek and contemporary, rather than rustic. Another Country is a good bet for modern designs, in solid iroko or oak and brass which, it claims, will age gracefully “like a yacht’s deck”. Carl Hansen’s new collection by Danish designer Bodil Kjaer is in teak, which, thanks to its high oil content, is naturally water-repellent and rot-resistant, and includes a comfortable lounger and swing seat. Woven furniture is still top of the trends, but is now light and curvy. Designs by Habitat, Marks & Spencer and Lloyd Loom in rainbow hues are another way to bring colour into the garden, while weatherproof synthetic rattan offers a lighter
touch.
The alfresco bar
Why traipse back to the kitchen to refresh your glass? The cocktail-trolley trend has moved into the garden in the form of LSA’S Gin Grand Serving Set, a portable gin bar in the form of a folding stand with removable trays, in ash and leather. Complete with a set of cocktail glasses and an ice bucket, it’s chicer than a cool-box, and sure to make any summer party go with a swing.
Above: Outdoor alcove seat, £699, Fusion seagrass basket, £30, Leia garden coffee table, £189, by John Lewis (johnlewis.com)