WORK and play
Laura and Chris turned an uninspiring rectangular plot into a multipurpose area for leisure, work and entertaining
Somehow, over several years, we had ended up with three overflowing sheds in a garden that we rarely used,’ says Laura. ‘My partner Chris and I had decided to upgrade our house with a one-storey extension, and as the garden had become a complete mudbath from the building works, it made sense to revamp the outside at the same time.
Let’s take this outside
I’m an interior designer and decorator and I often paint furniture for customers, but our sitting room had ended up as my workshop. So before we even started the renovations, I had a major clear-out and replaced the sheds with a large summerhouse with windows, where I could both relax and paint furniture. The garden had previously been divided up into several areas, which made it feel small, so we opened it up into one whole space.
Laying foundations
In such a small plot, it was important to make the layout work visually. We settled on quite a formallooking design with a shed at the back and symmetrical raised beds to frame a dining area.
Ahead of the building work, we put in new fencing, gates and a concrete base for the shed. I couldn’t find the perfect colour for the fence so I mixed my own using Urban Slate and Smooth Pebble from Cuprinol’s Garden Shades range.
Once the extension was finished, we dug foundations for the raised beds.
We built them from breeze blocks, which we rendered, then painted. Chris lined the sides with membrane and put gravel in the bottom for drainage before filling ►
with compost and leaf mulch. The last big job was laying black limestone slabs between the raised beds.
The centrepiece completing the space is the fantastic weathered wooden table that I found on ebay for £80.
I removed the paint, then scrubbed bleach into the top and left it out in the sun. I washed the tabletop, then repeated the same process several times, finally sealing it with clear matt exterior varnish and painting the legs to match the summerhouse.
Finishing touches
Once the landscaping and planting work was completed, I turned my attention back to the summerhouse. I furnished it gradually in a boho style, using treasures from Pedlars Place (pedlarsplace.com), ebay and car boot sales. I can’t see myself getting bored of the style because anything natural and earthy looks timeless.
We’ve enjoyed so many celebrations with friends and family in our finished garden, and it’s also proved to be a fantastic space for me to work. Gardens as small as this can be tricky, but we’ve achieved everything that we wanted.’