Gardens

Bring the cinema to your garden we show you how!

Movie nights at home

Now the weather is warmer, why not invite friends and family over for an outdoor movie screening? Set up your screen and projector, arrange comfy seating, add some snacks and you’re ready to go.

Cinema set-up

Choose a dry and sheltered corner of your garden, and mark the space with strings of festoon lights. If possible, avoid a spot where street lights or house lights might reflect against the screen. Create a screen by pegging a white sheet to your washing line and weigh it down at the bottom so it doesn’t flap about. If you’re handy at DIY, staple lengths of timber to the top and bottom and attach screw hooks to the top, then hang it from a garden wall or fence. For a more professional look, buy an inexpensive screen that will roll up when not in use.

Picture perfect

For a garden projector, look for a portable model with at least 3,000 lumens for a bright, crisp display, such as the DR.Q HI-04 Projector with Projection Screen (£89.99, Amazon) or the QKK AK-81 Projector With Projection Screen (£79.99, Amazon). Keep in mind you may also need an extension cable. To stream a film, connect the projector to

A sheet is all you need to create a cinema screen. Add a little Hollywood glamour with festoon lights. 20 LED festoon outdoor string lights, £20; 10 LED wire bulb outdoor string lights, £12; painted wooden tray lemon, £10; Freya chunky-knit throw, £45; striped monochrome waterresistant outdoor cushion, £8; Bumble Bee striped grey water-resistant cushion, £6; Easton Dobby charcoal floor cushion, £25; cream outdoor metal lantern with firefly lights, £15; grey diamond solar lantern, £12, all Dunelm

a laptop, a DVD or Blu-ray player, or a streaming device – think Amazon Fire TV stick or Google Chromecast. In most cases, you can do this with either a VGA or HDMI output on the laptop and VGC or HDMI input on the projector (you’ll need the correct lead to join them together).

For great sound quality, connect a speaker through your projector or connect wirelessly to a Bluetooth speaker. To avoid upsetting your neighbours with your late-night movie, your audience can listen with Bluetooth headphones. Alternatively, invite your neighbours to watch, too!

Getting comfy

If you’re sitting on a lawn or patio, lay a groundsheet down to protect against moisture and damp. Layer it up with rugs, blankets, waterproof floor cushions and beanbags. Arrange garden benches and low-backed chairs in a semi-circle, so everyone has a good view, and keep a basket of blankets to hand for those that want to snuggle up. A fire pit or chimenea is ideal for keeping out the chill after sunset.

Super snacks

Whether you opt for traditional popcorn or hot dogs from the BBQ, have plenty of unbreakable melamine bowls and acrylic glasses available. Keep drinks cool in a bucket of ice and use glass markers, so everyone knows whose drink is whose. Look for garden stakes which can be used to hold wine glasses to avoid accidental spills once it gets dark.

If you’d like to keep some lights on while you watch the film, use solar or candle lanterns, which are less bright than mains-powered options. Black slatted outdoor lantern duo, £59.99, Lights4fun

Make your garden cinema space comfy by piling it high with squishy floor cushions and plenty of scatter cushions. Floral serving bowl, £8; floral plate, £3.50; floral bowl, £3.50; wine glass, £3; tumbler, £3; elephant planter, £22; giraffe planter, £26; picnic blanket, £12; round floor cushion, £14; tufted cushions, from £10; large bamboo lantern, £45; large gold lantern, £26; small gold lantern, £20; festoon string lights £12, all Matalan

A cosy log burner will keep you toasty as the sun goes down. Morocco Droplet log burner, £35, B&M Stores