6 Exterior Design Ideas for the Garden
Take your indoor style outdoors with these 6 exterior design ideas for the garden. Turn your garden into an extra room to enjoy, day and night…
[As seen in Ideal Home Magazine]
Last year I had the pleasure of styling a 6 page decorating feature for Ideal Home Magazine. Normally I’m very much used to styling living room/bedroom sets, but this particular shoot tested my talents and meant I needed to improvise more, as it was all about exterior garden design ideas.
6 Exterior design ideas for the garden…
I’m now a proud owner of my very first (owned) garden, and I’m already using a couple of ideas from this feature which I’m going to reveal very soon. These ideas are a great way of giving your garden a purpose again, making it a relaxing space for you and your family and showing off some clever style ideas. You’ll be the hostess with the mostest with any of these 6 exterior design ideas for the garden… Bring on the BBQ’s!
1. Modern Pergola
Create a seating area with a wooden structure around it. You can either make pergolas from scratch if you’re a dab hand at DIY, or purchase flat-packed and ready to assemble. Add a roof of rush matting, or use train climbers if you want it to be shady. This creates a ‘zone’ for you to relax in.
Stylist’s tip!
Use outdoor rugs, cushions and pouffe’s to make it feel homely and comfortable. Adding soft furnishings will create an ‘indoor space’ illusion and make the whole area seem more relaxed.
Get the look / Pergola – Travis Perkins / Decking – Ikea / Sofa – Homebase / Rug & Pouffe – Maisons du Monde / Coffee table – Habitat
2. Feature Wall
In the same way that you’d hang photos indoors, create a display of bird boxes, barometers and wire box shelves that leave plants open to the rain. Display on a brick wall or fence, and use good looking gardening kit to show off on it.
Stylist’s tip!
When planning how/where to hang each piece, map it out on a big floor space first. Play around with the positioning of things until you get the look you love, take a photo of it and then re-create it on the wall!
Get the look / Fence – Travis Perkins / Paint colour – Carriage Wheel by Valspar / Bird boxes – The National Trust / Potting table – Dobbies / Garden accessories – Garden Trading
3. Private Bar
This shed will not only hold your garden furniture during the winter months, but doubles up as an outdoor bar shed for garden parties and alfresco sundowners in summer. Wow your guests by zoning a bar area for you to enjoy a tipple or two (or ten!).
Stylist’s tip!
Make the area more bespoke with written chalk boards ‘drinks are served’ and use galvanised planters/buckets to keep your beverages cool. Use hanging pots to keep herbs fresh for cocktails!
Get the look / Bar shed – Robert Dyas / Stool & drinks trolley – Wayfair / Rug – Maisons du Monde / Glassware – LSA international
4. Container Garden
Instead of spreading out pots all over the garden, give them greater impact by clustering them into groups at varying heights. This creates nice pockets of greenery on your patio, and undoubtedly make the face feel more designed.
Stylist’s tip!
Use plinths/plant stands to raise pots to different heights if needs be. Invest in some really nice pots to make it more of a feature and give it a high-end look.
Get the look / Chair – Maisons du Monde / Table – Habitat / Pots – John Lewis, Habitat & Dobbies / Cushion – George Spencer Designs
5. Outdoor Kitchen
Of course, everyone loves a good BBQ! If you normally BBQ in a big way, adding a surface space and shelves will give you more prep space and make the area feel more bespoke. Having the storage space will stop you to-ing and fro-ing indoors. Create a tiled splash back with leftover tiles for a designed look, and make it feel like a zoned kitchen space.
Stylist’s tip!
Use wooden storage boxes to keep everything organised and neat. Make the area feel more thought out with menu signs and condiments at-the-ready for your guests.
Get the look / BBQ – Big Green Egg / Tiles – Walls & Floors / Wooden crates – WoodenBox UK / Utensils – John Lewis
6. Living Wall
Horizontal fence panels turn the side of a shed , a stretch of bare wall or the side of a balcony into a vertical garden for smaller plant pots and baskets. perfect for those who are limited on space – Let it literally grow up the wall! You can also use it to hang watering cans & garden tools so it doubles up as storage space too!
Stylist’s tip!
Firstly, painting the fences black will make it feel more modern, and make the green foliage stand out more. Stagger your plants at different heights, and make an arrangement that is pleasing to the eye.
Get the look / Fence panels – Ikea / Paint Colour – Elephants Trunk by Valspar / Hanging buckets – Hobbycraft / Garden tools – Garden Trading
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As seen in Ideal Home Magazine August 2019.
All photography by Joanna Henderson
Content written by Ideal Home & That’s so Gemma
