Can you smell blooming flowers in the air? Can you hear birds singing? The long and warm days of spring and summer are closely approaching us, which means more time is spent outdoors. In a normal year, we would be preparing our suitcases to go abroad and enjoy the weather elsewhere. However, during these strange times, going on holiday doesn’t seem like the best choice. So, instead, it’s time to make the most of our patios, gardens, terraces and balconies.
After a cold and gloomy winter, your outdoor space desperately needs some attention. And don’t worry – I’m not judging! Mine does too! Whether your garden needs a complete redo or your patio needs a little bit of love, I’ve put together some of my favourite outdoor living trends to refresh your outdoor space.
Create an indoor/outdoor retreat.
Creating a space in our garden that gives us the comfort of an indoor space with the perks of being outside has always been a dream of mine – anything to spend more time outside with the kids! Designer Shade Solutions retractable louvered roofs in Ireland are a great choice for that. These are modern pergolas that feature a retractable and tilting louvered roof that can easily close and open as you please. Plus, these can be installed attached to your home to create a seamless transition from your indoor living space to your outdoor area, how incredible does that sound?
Bright summer evenings.
Renovation Bay Bee recommends adding outdoor lighting all around your garden to create a more inviting atmosphere during dark evenings. Outdoor fairy lights will look stunning around an outdoor dining space and some outdoor spotlights can be installed to light up some of your favourite parts of the garden.
Shades of blue.
Blue can be added to your outdoor space in many ways. From painting your garden shed light blue or painting your garden fence navy blue to adding some blue flowers around or even some water features, like a pond or drinking fountain. Janine Huldie believes that blue will be a colour of choice this year in people’s gardens and outdoor spaces – “Blue is a relaxing color that represents tranquillity, peacefulness, and stability.” As she says, “I think we all need a little bit of blue in our lives.”
Go full Marie Kondo.
Really Missing Sleep comments that if you are looking to have a clean and organised garden, you need to “start decluttering and making sure everything is in tip-top shape now.” This includes going full Marie Kondo on your garden shed – ask yourself if you need the things you have, if they give you joy and get rid of anything you haven’t been using and don’t need. Then, look around your garden and patio and see what could be improved – this could be cleaning plant pots, mowing the lawn, smoothing cracks in your patio.
Plants with a purpose.
This article on Family Handyman mentions that spending more time at home has shifted homeowner’s views on their back garden greenery, “with a move toward edible gardens featuring vegetable patches, herb planters and fruit trees.” And I couldn’t agree more! We’ve seen more and more people planting vegetables on their balconies, planting edible plants on their garden and thoroughly enjoying seeing these grow and bloom.
