– Here’s a guest post from Furniturebox (an online furniture business)
Our gardens are a patch of green we can enjoy all to ourselves — and creating the perfect outdoor living space is an opportunity to make yourself comfortable, ready to celebrate with friends and family.
Particularly during the pandemic, our garden space has served as a much-needed solace from the confines of lockdown. They have become outdoor living rooms that extend the boundaries of our home.
Thankfully, all it takes is a little know-how and some planning skills to turn your garden into a paradise in time for summer. In this article, we reveal the following tips and tricks that can help you create your perfect outdoor living space:
- Choose complimentary garden furniture ideas
- Break up your garden space with levels and boundaries
- Illuminate your outdoor living space with warm lighting
Ready to start planning for those warm summer months? Read on as we help you create the perfect outdoor living room to fit your requirements and personal taste.
Choose complimentary garden furniture ideas
When creating the perfect outdoor living room, it’s important to complement your indoor living space by extending the interior decor into the garden.
How do you do this? Well, it’s a tricky balance to get right. Go too far and you risk losing the natural beauty of your garden — but do too little and you lose the comfortability and functionality that goes hand-in-hand with creating a great living room.
Armchairs, rugs, and cushions all go a long way to spruce up your garden without completely taking over. Here are some more garden furniture ideas for your outdoor living room:
- Bean bags & throws: to create a cosy reading corner in the shade
- Extendable dining table: to make space for family meals in the sun
- Foldable sun loungers: to soak up the sun and evoke a sense of holiday
- Parasol or wooden gazebos: to create some shade in a sun-trapped garden
Wooden gazebo aside (which is a more permanent fixture), flexibility is a big part of choosing complimentary garden furniture. The option to chop and change with foldable, extendable, and temporary furniture means you can tailor your outdoor living room for different needs and the ever-fluctuating weather conditions.
Break up your garden space with levels and boundaries
Feel like your garden is a little flat and dull? The perfect outdoor living room should look the part as well as being functional. We all love to look out on our garden and see a reflection of what you’ve built.
Breaking up the space with levels and well-defined boundaries is a great way to add some design and character to your garden — and how you go about this is totally up to you. Some people like to build steps and stone walls; others use greenery such as hedges and tall, airy plants to segment the garden.
Remember to work with existing level changes in your garden rather than trying to flatten it out. After all, there is perfection in imperfection. The idea of a continuous garden extenuating space is a myth. This is achieved by creating a journey in and around your outdoor living room, embracing divots and breaking things down into small spaces.
Illuminate your outdoor living room with warm lighting
The right lighting can help perfect your outdoor living room. After all, the sun is only out for so long and you likely want to keep the party going or read a book in the evening air. Without good lighting neither of these scenarios are possible.
There are many ways to illuminate your garden during the evening, but warm, low light is the best way to create a cozy atmosphere that avoids contributing to light pollution in your area. Here are some garden light ideas for your outdoor living room:
- Fire-pit: open fire for natural illumination and warmth in the evening
- Pendant lights: wide hanging bulbs that add striking volume
- Candles & lanterns: asymmetrical lighting for a bohemian charm
- Connectable fairy lights: wired whimsical light to wrap around hedges
Lighting can be a tricky fitting to get right, but so long as you don’t go over the top and keep things natural, you’ll be well on your way to creating the perfect outdoor living room.
The perfect outdoor living room is in the eye of the beholder, but use these tips and you’ll maximize your creative instincts. From complimentary furniture and warm lighting to breaking up the continuous space with borders and levels — this is the foundation for creating a fantastic outdoor living area in time for summer.
