PAINT – Not just for interiors!
Over the winter your garden may, or may NOT, have been neglected however, there’s
always room for improvement and with a bit of thought and planning your garden space
can quickly be transformed into a haven for relaxing on those long, glorious summer days.
Your outdoor space is an extension of your home so, when planning it, you can use the same
‘decorating principles’ as you would use when decorating indoors.
1. Build the vision
Just as you would choose a mood for a room, decide on the look and mood you want to
create for your patio and garden. Whether it’s Mediterranean, cottage garden, sleek modern
or grand stately home, a few well planned accessories and clever use of colour will
transform the space quickly and easily.
2. Assess your space
Draw the garden shape onto a piece of paper and divide the shape into zones. Work out
which areas of the garden get the sun and at what times of the day. Draw up a list of
functions that you would like the garden to accommodate eg. entertaining, morning coffee,
sleeping off Sunday lunch, sunbathing, bar-b-queing, reading, relaxing, playing. Then work
out which area is best suited for each activity. Consider where the zone is in relation to the
house with regard to line of sight and line of travel. Eg. You may not want to put a
children’s play area out of sight and in the sunniest part of the garden. Equally, a patio is of
limited use if it doesn’t get sunshine at the time of day when you want to use it. However, if
the patio is best situated at the end of the garden away from the house to get the sunshine,
you need to have an ‘easy to navigate’ pathway to get to it when you’re carrying a tray
loaded with hot tea and scones!
3. Colour palette
Choosing a colour palette that enhances your chosen style / theme is an easy way to bring
the look to life. Navy pots with palm trees will create a Mediterranean feel, trellises with
rambling roses and terracotta pots brimming with pansies are perfect for a cottage garden
and smartly trimmed topiary will enhance a formal look.
4. One zone at a time
Now you‘ve decided what functions each zone will be used for, prioritise and create one
zone at a time. This way you won’t get disheartened and feel that you have bitten off more
than you can chew. You will be able to see results very quickly and enjoy the completed
zones whilst working on the next one, giving you further encouragement to complete the
whole task!
5. Dress to impress
Now you’re just working on one zone at a time, making it perfect for a specific activity in
your chosen style, the task is easy. As with a room, prepare the structure first – walls and
floor – then accessorise.
Floors: If laying a deck or a patio seems to difficult, then just dig out the area, lay a liner
down and fill with shingle. Place circular paving slabs wherever you need a solid surface
for table and chair legs. Simple, quick to do and pretty!
Walls: Paint fences, trellises and sheds in wood stains and colours to suit the look.
Accessories: Planters filled with flowers will infuse the space with instant colour. Paint the
furniture. Add coloured watering cans, candles, lighting, cushions and table runners to
complete the look.
Top Tip – A painted garden chest will double up as extra seating AND storage for cushions
etc
Another Top tip:
To reduce maintenance, add extra colour by painting furniture rather than adding more
flowers (painted furniture doesn’t need daily watering!!)
6. First impressions
Don’t forget to give the front of your home the same treatment as the back garden. You may
not sit in the front garden but it should still continue the theme and give a flavour of what’s
going on behind the scenes. Just painting your front door a beautiful colour and putting
some statement planters either side will work wonders to improve the kerb appeal of your
home.
Exterior woodwork:
There are some amazing products available for fencing, sheds and woodwork these days in
an exciting array of colours from natural wood through to beautiful colours. Professional
products, like Dulux Trade and Little Greene, offer up to 10 years protection and hundreds
of colour options! So there is no need for the woodwork to be a boring necessity – it can
become an exciting addition to the overall look.
When choosing which product to use there are a number of finish options:
Wood stains: Available in natural wood colours that will allow the natural grain of the
wood to show though, giving a semi-transparent finish
Opaque finishes: Provide a solid colour whilst still allowing the texture of the wood to show
through
Water based and Eggshell exterior paints: For a smooth, long lasting, solid colour finish.
Little Greene have just released a new range of water based and oil based eggshells and
glosses, available in ALL of their beautiful ‘Colours of England’ and ‘Grey Scales’ palette
Voila! You’ll be sitting in your ‘new’ garden with your feet up, enjoying the fruits of your
labours, before you know it!