MAD ABOUT THE HOUSE
KATE WATSON-SMYTH, INTERIORS EXPERT AND RED’S COLUMNIST, IS HEADING INTO THE GARDEN – AND SHE’S TAKING HER FURNITURE WITH HER
There has been a lot of talk in recent years – in the last 12 months in particular – about the trend for bringing the outdoors in when it comes to colour and pattern. Green is on the rise and the fashion for using houseplants to jazz up a Zoom background and detoxify your air is growing.
But now that the summer is here, if you want to make the most of your space, you need to think in the other direction – taking the indoors out.
It has taken me four gardens and a balcony to work this out. This is because so much of what is available as garden furniture is ugly, expensive, uncomfortable and everywhere.
So, you spend a small fortune on a charming wrought-iron bistro set (done that) and find you don’t have time for coffee and croissants while idly flicking through a newspaper on the balcony before work and it’s far too uncomfortable for sunbathing or reading afterwards, so you stay in and lie on the sofa instead.
Then, you buy a set of those low sunbeds (done this, too) thinking you’ll recline with a cocktail like something out of Mad Men, but there’s no pool, the cat jumps up and spills the Martini and, if you’re over the age of 35, the huffing and puffing required to stand up again is not quite the elegant vibe you had in mind. (See also, traditional candy-stripe deckchairs.)
As for pre-matched sets – just don’t. You wouldn’t buy a three-piece suite for your sitting room so don’t do it for your garden. And why are they nearly always square?
The penny finally dropped when I was redecorating and hauled an ancient armchair into the garden to get it out of the way. There it remained until it rained, as we realised that the way to make the garden comfortable (and so more usable) is to create a proper outdoor sitting room. Now we have a weatherproof sofa and armchairs that wouldn’t look out of place in the house, along with a coffee table and outdoor floor lamp. For the first time in years we have spent long happy hours in the garden, reading, chatting, drinking cocktails and soaking up that precious vitamin D.
The other way to make the most of your outside space is to create a kitchen area with a barbecue and some storage to keep everything handy, even a kitchen sink.
I’m wary of fire pits – if there was one thing we learned during lockdown it was that the warmth given out was minimal and the lingering smell on clothes and hair was, well, maximal. What about installing an outdoor fireplace instead? If you plan it right, you can even cook pizzas in it. Add shelves for decoration but, instead of books, add herbs and fragrant plants to scent the air. Then hang festoon lights to create the perfect relaxing atmosphere. Who needs the Med?