Your garden is an extension of your home, but so often completely neglected. While you don’t need a beautiful garden, like you probably don’t need an en suite for your master bedroom, when you actually get one you wonder how you ever lived without it. Houses are a finite space, so why not make your garden a second living area?
Now we are well and truly into winter; it’s a great time to be thinking about changes you’d like to make, so they can be implemented in spring and ready for use in summer.
Make it comfortable
You wouldn’t use wooden benches in your living room, so don’t use them in your garden. The key to creating a space you want to spend time in is making sure you’re comfortable. Outdoor sofas with detachable cushions, swinging seats, coffee tables, and footrests are all great pieces of furniture to invest in for your garden. Install enough seating that you can use the space for entertaining, not just for yourself – you’ll want to show it off by the time you’re finished with it.
Move your workshop outside
Don’t let your workshop take up valuable indoor space, move it into a space made specifically for it in the garden. It’ll make your backyard feel like it has a purpose, and a good looking shed is a great storage solution for outdoor cushions and gardening equipment so that it won’t litter up your home. There are some great backyard shed plans available to suit any need, and they can actually draw your garden together.
Get cooking
When summer comes around, who wouldn’t want a fabulous outdoor kitchen and dining area? It doesn’t have to be a whole installation, just a large gas barbecue, a preparation area, and a comfortable dining table. Barbecues are great for entertaining, but it’s also nice to have small, low key meals with just the family. Even if you don’t feel like barbecuing, at least if you have an outside dining area you can enjoy your breakfast al fresco in the summer months.
Decorate
There’s a myth that all a garden needs is a few plants and a sun lounger, but actually, it should be treated just like any other room in your house. Thought needs to be put into its decoration, colour schemes, and ornaments.
Obviously, the types of plants you choose are important, but your garden will never look neat if the fence isn’t painted and the grass isn’t mown. Cute ornaments are a great way to tie the space together, and strings of festoon lighting make it feel festive, and also allows you to use the space comfortably after dark. And whatever you do, don’t forget to put a gnome by the pond – it’s basically a crime not to.
Making your garden a useful living space is all about emulating what you do inside, outdoors. Comfortable furnishings, sensible use of space, and cute decorations are all it takes to create a garden you’ll want to show off to your friends, and you’ll never want to go back inside.