Outdoor Updates That'll Make Your Life a Bit Better
Be inspired by these nifty outdoor tweaks that prove sprucing up your garden doesn’t have to be a major job
Gardens, with their landscaping, mowing, pruning and digging, can sometimes seem like the hardest spaces to plan and maintain, but it doesn’t have to be difficult to create an outdoor oasis that you’ll race home to spend time in, whatever the season. Take a look at these straightforward garden hacks and be inspired to create a haven of your own.
Conjure up a holiday atmosphere
This look is all about the soft furnishings. Create an exotic dining affair with vibrant tablecloths, vintage rugs and lengths of colourful cloth suspended to form an airy canopy.
This look is all about the soft furnishings. Create an exotic dining affair with vibrant tablecloths, vintage rugs and lengths of colourful cloth suspended to form an airy canopy.
Build a simple hammock
Nothing could be as easy to construct, or as decadent to use, as a hammock made out of a reclaimed wooden pallet and the strongest rope you can source. Make sure the pallet is sanded well and sealed to prevent damage to it (and, ahem, your own seating area).
Decorate with soft cushions or, for even more dreaminess, top with a light mattress for the perfect afternoon nap spot.
More clever ways to reinvent wooden pallets
Nothing could be as easy to construct, or as decadent to use, as a hammock made out of a reclaimed wooden pallet and the strongest rope you can source. Make sure the pallet is sanded well and sealed to prevent damage to it (and, ahem, your own seating area).
Decorate with soft cushions or, for even more dreaminess, top with a light mattress for the perfect afternoon nap spot.
More clever ways to reinvent wooden pallets
Match mismatched furniture
Tie disparate furniture pieces together and create a cohesive aesthetic by painting them all the same colour. Opt for a fresh, contemporary hue, such as this mint green, and use spray paint for swift and mess-free application.
Tie disparate furniture pieces together and create a cohesive aesthetic by painting them all the same colour. Opt for a fresh, contemporary hue, such as this mint green, and use spray paint for swift and mess-free application.
Indulge in a little café culture
Make breakfast the most special meal of the day, every day, by taking advantage of any suntrap, however small. Set up a chic, Continental scene with a small bistro table and chairs, then sit back and dream you’re on a stylish European mini-break this winter.
Make breakfast the most special meal of the day, every day, by taking advantage of any suntrap, however small. Set up a chic, Continental scene with a small bistro table and chairs, then sit back and dream you’re on a stylish European mini-break this winter.
Paint it Palm Springs
Give your garden a sunny, mid-century Palm Springs mood by painting all the walls and outhouses brilliant white to contrast crisply with the green grass and foliage. The key to this look is a chalky paint finish and a manicured and minimal lawn.
Give your garden a sunny, mid-century Palm Springs mood by painting all the walls and outhouses brilliant white to contrast crisply with the green grass and foliage. The key to this look is a chalky paint finish and a manicured and minimal lawn.
Stencil an outdoor rug
Create a cosy, liveable outdoor area by laying down some durable ‘soft furnishings’. Stencil a souk-style rug straight onto a deck using outdoor paint. Over time, the design will soften and wear down for an ‘antique’ finish and you’ll have a lived-in outdoor living space to while the hours away with a good book.
14 courtyard updates you’ll thank yourself for
Create a cosy, liveable outdoor area by laying down some durable ‘soft furnishings’. Stencil a souk-style rug straight onto a deck using outdoor paint. Over time, the design will soften and wear down for an ‘antique’ finish and you’ll have a lived-in outdoor living space to while the hours away with a good book.
14 courtyard updates you’ll thank yourself for
Create a room with a view
Make working from home even more appealing by taking in the view from the garden. Ready-to-assemble garden sheds come in all manner of modern designs these days, so it’s never been easier to set up shop with a desk, chair, your laptop and an extension cable.
TELL US
Have you hacked your outdoor space with a quick or simple trick that has changed your life? Share your tips and photos in the Comments below.
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Make working from home even more appealing by taking in the view from the garden. Ready-to-assemble garden sheds come in all manner of modern designs these days, so it’s never been easier to set up shop with a desk, chair, your laptop and an extension cable.
TELL US
Have you hacked your outdoor space with a quick or simple trick that has changed your life? Share your tips and photos in the Comments below.
MORE OUTDOOR TRICKS
Find Outdoor Storage Space You Never Knew You Had
15 Mini Outdoor Spaces With Mojo
Outdoor Bench Seating Solutions for Small Spaces
New patio flooring generally means digging, levelling and some hard graft… or you could just instantly transform a scruffy outdoor area with smart wooden tiles that clip together. The luxury of walking barefoot out onto that once rough and uneven floor will be bliss.