Get Alfresco!
Looking forward to the sunny weekend ahead, today we took a look at some alfresco inspiration. Open the door, get out the garden furniture, the sun is out and we’re promised that it might stick around for a while. In our house we (uh hum) have been working on our new decking area in the garden. We originally planned to build a square area but the project manager (me) changed the brief mid project to a larger (and slightly more difficult to build) trapezium type shape, which the husband (and chief labourer) is thrilled about (lol), but I think it will be well worth it in the long run! Â So as work progresses I’ve turned my attention to dressing and styling the area. I’ve found some lovely things, which I thought I’d share with you…
Going dark
We have quite a lot of wood in the garden (sheds, fences,raised beds and now decking) so I’m considering painting them to minimise the ‘stables’ feel. I found some lovely garden examples that focuses on dark colour for structures in the garden. I’m not quite brave enough to go the full ‘black’ hog, but I’m definitely thinking about a dark grey… why? Because it creates a fabulous background for colour! It will make the flowers and greenery really stand out.
Here are some lovely examples…
The fences create the dark back drop and also a repeat pattern texture, which is in real contrast to the organic shapes of the vegetation.
I love how the dark beans give contract to the hanging plants, which look like a canopy above your head. The tiles are also wonderful and give the setting texture and detail as well as setting out the space in the garden.
Seating
There are some beautiful ranges of garden furniture available at the moment that move us beyond the rattan sofa sets we’ve see in the last few years – phew! There is also a massive resurgence of colour, which in my opinion is very very welcome. The vibrant colours fit beautifully with the jungle boho style that is very popular at the moment. All these colours sit comfortable on a green background, as they would do in nature of course!
Here are a few examples that caught my eye…
Bohemian Style Gardens
Another style that’s becoming more popular again in the Bohemian or ‘boho’ style, which embraces asian and indian cultures including design styles, colours and materials. This is all quite well timed too, as the last time this style hit us big was in the late 80’s and the key pieces seem to turn up in the local charity shops now and then. If you’re anything like me and you find it very difficult to walk past a charity shop without having a quick browse, you might have spotted some wicker or cane items. If you’re lucky enough to spot any of the ones below, grab them before they’re gone!
It doesn’t get much more grand that this beauty! Commonly known at the Peacock chair (can you see why!?) they were a hit with my parent generation and you can pick one up from around £20 if you’re very lucky. I also saw a cane table (like the one pictured) recently for just £10. Its all about keeping your eyes open…
You can also get reproduction ones that are quite good, such as:
This Peacock chair  is from Woodpeck Interiors and is £575 and available online here.
These beauties are a lot more comfortable than they look! There are a few floating around on Ebay and you can also buy reproductions ones too, like these:
Joalie Chair (yellow), La Redoute, £199
Which would you go for?
I’m going to keep researching and I’ll report back when I’ve made a decision. Until then, back to managing the labourer, I mean husband.
