I don’t spend a lot of time in my outdoor areas, but when I do, I want them to be a super cosy spaces. I recently pressure washed my back garden patio (most satisfying thing ever). It went from a dark, murky grey, to a light beige toned paving flag. It’s definitely not perfect, but so much brighter and easier on the eye. I’d like to completely redo the paving one day, but the interior house projects have priority at the moment.
Here’s how I created a cosy garden area:
I added the potted plants from my previous garden (eucalyptus, blueberry bush) and some plants that I inherited from my Grandma (bay trees and some others that I’m not sure what they are). They are all in a mix of terracotta and ceramic pots to add some visual interest. It’s made the space already much more inviting and added some greenery to liven up the area. The garden already had some small planted borders which have some quite large bushes in already – a beautiful pink peony and a blue and pink hydrangea on the other side. They’ll be staying for the foreseeable but will be trimmed back once this season is over.
I also added the outdoor rug and garden furniture I used in my previous garden to create a cosy seating area. They’re quite minimal, modern styles, which allows the greenery in the rest of the garden to bring some natural tones and warmth.
I’ve sat out there a few times but knew it was missing something – lighting. For those late summer evenings, adding some subtle but stylish lighting makes such a difference. The warm glow you get from outdoor lighting really makes the space feel more special and is such a simple way to style without too much effort!
The back fence already had some existing festoon lights but I added some of these warm white festoon lights from Lights4fun (gifted) and this stunning lantern set (gifted) to help add some much needed warmth to the area. These products are both solar powered (although available as battery and plug in options) which is something super useful when you have an access road between your house and garden like I do and can’t get electricity where you need it. Oh, and I don’t need to buy batteries!
Lights4fun also have a huge summer sale on at the moment, such a great range of indoor and outdoor lighting, perfect for any space and any budget!
So here it is, my cosy garden area:
