Home Comforts
Catharina Björkman, lifestyle expert for Contura.eu, shares her tips for enjoying your gardenn room at Christmas and bbeyond
Garden rooms
If you’re lucky enou ugh to have a conservato or y or garden room, cons sider how it can be used over the festive period. Could you ha ave Christmas lunch there; make it a cosy y snug for watching Christmas films; or create a place to enj joy pre-dinner drinks on the big day? With a fewf simple tweaks, you can transform a room traditionally used only in summer into a space per fect for use throughout the winter.
Firstly, prep the space to make sure it’s cosy by preventing any draughts, particularly around the windows and doors. Weatherstripping tape, draught excluders and secondary or double glazing can all help keep the cold air out and prevent heat loss. Add long curtains that can be drawn to help maintain the temperature, and if the floor is tiled (without underfloor heating) add cosy rugs for more warmth under foot. Make the room extra snug with winterready soft furnishings: cushions, fluffy throws and soft blankets.
Decorating is the fun part! Bringing elements of
the natural world into your garden room is an easy way to add festive cheer. Holly leaves with red berries, fallen branches, fir cones, bark, or any other kind of greener y you can find will work well to decorate the space.
You could add winter berries to vintage-style bowls and dot these around the room; stand foliage and branches in tall vases; and add sprigs of fresh foliage around candles for a special touch. Always ensure any greener y you add to the room is fire-safe.
No Christmas look could be complete without window and door wreaths, usually made of greener y and hung with red ribbons. You can make your own by getting a ready-made wicker or wire ring and layering over with foliage, securing with wire as you go. You can choose to make these neat and uniform or more natural in style. Adding batterypowered LED lights gives an extra sparkle.
Christmas can be stressful, especially if you’re hosting, so make sure your garden room is a welcoming place. This will take some of the stress off you and ensure everyone enjoys themselves in a snug, stylish environment.