Outdoor living | Summer garden updates
May is my favourite month of the year. The garden is at its finest and I love being able to spend time outdoors in the evening enjoying a glass of wine after I’ve finished work for the day. As well as long, light evenings this week we’ve also finally been blessed with wonderfully warm weather so being outdoors has been an absolute joy.
We really do use the garden as an outdoor room in the summer months. It’s a small urban garden so it’s nice to be able to use it as a living space. Although I’d love to have a larger garden I do think that working within the constraints of a small space can sometimes force you to be more creative. We thought long and hard about every aspect of the garden and although we’ve lived here for a number of years it’s only with the changes we’ve made this year that I can finally say I’m 100% happy with it.
The most recent additions are some new pieces from Houseology, who I’ve collaborated with for today’s post.
I love the soft, romantic mood that garden lanterns create so I was happy to discover this teak and stainless steel oil lamp by Scandi brand Skagerak. I really like the mix of these materials along with the ribbed handblown glass body which is cleverly designed to increase and spread the output of light.
When you work from home and are digitally connected 24/7 I think it’s important to create some sort of separation between your working life and the rest of your day. Lighting a candle is a ritual I’ve adopted to signify the beginning of the down time I allow myself at the end of my working day and so for the summer months I’m going to be extending this ritual to the garden and lighting my new oil lamp too.
The flatweave striped Ikat rug on the raised deck is from the Houseology Collection and it’s another one of those versatile pieces that will work equally well inside or outside the home. Practical and stylish in equal measures it was the perfect finishing touch for our garden. As well as making the space feel more intimate and comfortable it’s really helped to pull everything together.
Also from Houseology, the Helios firebowl by Skagerak is another new addition. Much as a fireplace does indoors, it creates the perfect focal point – something that our garden previously lacked. Although made of solid cast iron it is surprisingly easy to move around thanks to the easy to grip side handles, so I’m sure we’ll end up packing it into the back of the car and taking it with us when we head off on camping trips or days out at the beach.
A stainless steel grill (sold separately) is also available so you can use it as a barbecue too.
It feels really good to have an area of the home that is finally exactly how I want it, and its spurred me on to work on a couple of other areas that I’m currently a little less than happy with. I know interiors bloggers often give the impression that their homes are perfectly styled at all times but that’s certainly not the case with ours, whatever you might see on Instagram, where like most people, I tend to share only the best bits. Both Graham and I are self employed, so although we have a studio space we often work from home too, and as a result our house is frequently in a state of creative chaos as we undertake various different projects. It’s certainly not all styled minimalist perfection! Somehow it always feels like a work in progress – there are always things I want to update or improve. Next up, I’ll be making a few changes to the bedroom which I’ll share with you soon.
Styling and photography by Design Hunter in collaboration with Houseology.
