Hello friends, how have you been? We went away over Easter and had our first family holiday with our son (who we adopted just over a year ago now). It went really well and we enjoyed some really great time away from London and enjoying the seaside! We were fortunate enough to enjoy some lovely sunshine when we returned but now have moved back into the sunny one day/very very rainy the next weather that we are so used to in the UK. In fact I heard on the grapevine that this summer may have more rain than sunshine planned for us. Yikes.
In true Brit style, I’ve decided not to let this get me down and have written a garden styling post with 5 tips for styling your outside space to inspire both you and me to plan ahead for the summer. If it’s going to rain all summer long then I’m determined to spend those rainy summer days surrounded by pretty cushions and damp bunting.
As you may recall, we don’t have the biggest of back gardens which is why many of these tips are great if you have a small outside space like us, or perhaps just a balcony…
#1 Use colourful plants to bring life to a small balcony or decked area. The image above shows how you can use space and height cleverly to include lots of different plants and flowers. Think of using trellis attached to the wall for added options when seeking to add extra greenery. Similarly, charity shop or boot fair furniture finds can be easily repainted in weather proof outdoor paint and used to create extra storage.
#2. Not the proud owner of some garden furniture? Then move the indoors outside! Consider taking out a rug to sit on and adorn with Moroccan pouffes – a great investment buy that will ensure extra stylish seating for in the home as well as out of it!
#3. This next tip is something that I’ve been wanting to try for a while now. Add extra detail and interest to your garden by hanging glass bottles, jam jars or lanterns from a tree or wire strung from one side of the garden to the other.
#4. Another tip for those of us with small outside spaces. Use some outside lights to add romance and glamour whilst dressing up a bench with some pretty scatter cushions. Again, if you don’t have some specifically for the garden, just use your favourite cushions from inside. If you don’t have any soil that can be dug over in order to bed in plants, consider buying small trees in plant pots. You can customise your pots by making small hessian covers for them (as shown above) or perhaps consider painting the pot or wrapping it in some paper and tying garden string around it.
#5. Finally, tip 5 is to be creative and have fun! Use your imagination and make an outside table using crates as pictured, or turn some plant pots upside down and use them as mini side tables. The more spontaneous the better. Garden summer styling doesn’t need to be neat and perfect. Who knows, you may be grabbing everything at the drop of a hat and dragging it back indoors again at the sight of a spot of rain so my opinion is that it’s best to keep it free from fuss!
Featured image by Emiel Molenaar on Unsplash
Claire Parkin Interior Design 
2 responses to “5 ways to style your garden”
[…] garden has plenty of style to it in the summer, but during the winter? Maybe not so much. However, you can quickly change […]
[…] When it comes to getting your garden exactly how you want it, you need to spend time planning. Take some time on Pinterest to get your juices going or check out one of my other posts on ways to style your garden. […]