Style ideas for alfresco rooms
By Jean Vernon
One of the delights of a beautiful garden is spending time enjoying it. That’s something that many gardeners don’t find time to do, but with a little planning it can (and really should) become second nature; after all when the sun is shining and the air is warm, why wouldn’t you want to spend an evening or afternoon in the beautiful garden haven you have created? You deserve it.
It can be as simple as a café table and chairs carefully placed in the morning sun, or a bench under a tree. Cushions at the ready and the garden becomes your outdoor room.
At this year's Hampton Court Flower Show you’ll find all the garden accessories and ideas to create outdoor dining areas, coffee destinations and everything you need to dress it all in elegant garden style.
The white room
For some true show garden home inspiration don’t miss the cool and sophisticated planting at the Living Room garden. Extending the garden outside is the theme of this creative plot and just in case you miss the message, there’s a cool, pure white weatherproof sofa and matching coffee table and chairs. The garden epitomizes 21st century living with a glass veranda and contemporary furniture and surrounds the gardener with an oasis of green and calm white planting. White-stemmed birches, silver artemesia and astelia and white flowers such as lavender all add to the effect.
Thai memories
A more dramatic example of living at the garden edge is showcased by the Reflections of Thailand – Sala Rim Nam: House by the River. This Bangkok riverside home simply blends with the planting and opens out onto the river. It’s an inspiring mix of tropical trees and plants providing shade, scented flowers and even herbs for the cooking pot.
Refresh and revive
Typical British summers demand a little more shelter in our gardens, especially for alfresco dining. On the Sadolin Refresh & Revive Garden there is a reclaimed timber dining pavilion for impromptu entertaining, dining and even homeworking when the weather is conducive. Soft, delicate planting fills the borders, providing restful colours.
Versatile seating
In the small gardens the aptly named Garden Lounge is another example of how to creatively use a small garden space to extend the home. Here the garden is on a slope but this has been creatively transformed by some terracing that doubles up as seating potential.
So next time you take a short break for a cuppa or a friend drops in unexpected, don’t head for the living room, venture outside and spend the time in your garden instead.