First of all, on Thursday, it’s our 5 year anniversary in our home – yay! *throws confetti* – and in that time, we have done a ton of work on our back garden. The weather here in the North West makes things a little difficult, of course, because it’s quite rainy and even in the summer, there’s no guarantee of sunshine. So when we know we’re going to have a good week weather-wise, we try to take advantage of those and spend some time outdoors.
Now, April was actually decent in terms of sunshine but the month of May has been pretty rubbish – a bit cold and rainy and not particularly the kind of conditions you want to spend a lot of time outdoors in. Even as I write this post, we’ve had rain all day and it’s blowing a gale out there – boooo! However, they are promising warmer temperatures and sunshine by the end of the week so that will be my cue to start getting some work done outside.
If you have been following me for a while, you know we still had plans for our decking outside last summer. We extended the deck and stained it but I really wanted some better furniture out there so we could actually sit and have dinner outside when the weather (finally) warms up. It was also in the plans to rethink the colour scheme a bit.
This is what it looked like towards the end of last year… and aside from removing the (no longer working) solar lights and putting the old furniture back on it, we haven’t done much else. Yes, it all looks a bit sad in this picture, I realise!
Well, we’ve made a small start on getting the outside together. As you may know, I’ve worked with the lovely Homebase in the past (see our Garden on a Roll review here and here and our Bonfire Night here) and I was thrilled they agreed to working with me again on this project to give our back garden a bit of love! As you probably know, we do a lot of DIY and spend a LOT of time in Homebase so of course, I’m really happy to be collaborating with them again!
They’ve graciously supplied us with some furniture for the outdoors and are helping me to bring a little greenery by way of potted plants to the outside too (which I still need to get!). So while we need to add facia to the front of the deck and replace the steps (they were supposed to be temporary!), it’s a pretty good start to finally getting a ‘grown up’ garden look that I would love out here
This is the set I chose – the Ramini 4 Seater dining set. Simple, clean lines, comfortable and small enough to fit on our decking and nice neutrals that can be used no matter what my colour scheme. (On a side note, I always think if you are unsure about your colour scheme no matter what your room, your base furniture should be in go-with-anything neutrals and then you can always layer colour afterwards.)
One other thing that we’d done already is that we replaced our teeny tiny shed with something a little bigger and more practical for our needs – a 6ft x 6ft model rather than the paltry 5ft x 3ft number we had before!
Wayne put it up in early April (we were desperate for storage!) but as yet, it’s still unpainted (so no, it won’t be staying luminous orange). I absolutely adore Kristin from The Hunted Interior’s black shed so at the moment, I’m considering painting it black with white trim.
Apologies about how horrid everything looks in my pictures by the way – the winters here are a bit hardcore rain-and-misery-wise so it needs to be cleaned up and pretty-fied again! And of course, this pic was taken in early April before when the trees were still bare and the garden was still hibernating! Everything is looking rather greener now!
Also if you are wondering about that horrible scaffolding, the building behind us is pretty much never inhabited. Not sure who the owners are but they put that scaffolding up on the other side of our brick wall and have left it there for over a year (!!). I lodged a complaint with the council (we don’t know the owners as I said, there’s never anyone in there) so please keep your fingers crossed we can get that resolved soon so I don’t have to keep looking at it ;)
Anyway! Homebase is also providing a little bistro set for the back of the garden next to the shed too. The little chairs we’d had originally sadly started to fall apart (we did have them for 3+ years and I bought them used from eBay!). At the moment, we just have some orange folding chairs that match the orange table (not especially pretty) – but I’m doing away with all the orange out here so they’ll just be going into the shed for extra seating when required. So, thanks to my lovely sponsors, we chose this set to take it’s place – the Amalfi Mosaic Bistro Set. I love the mosaic table top and how simple it would be to dress it up.
I’m kind of dithering on the colour scheme for the project – I really want it to be punchy black and white and then combine it with some accent colours but the selection for outdoor fabrics here in the UK isn’t fabulous and so I’m really limited in terms of what I can use that will be able to withstand the British weather!
I did impulsively purchase a couple of these cushions from H&M so I’m thinking these may actually be my jumping off point for the colours… what do you think?
And I’m considering this rug as well – although I haven’t purchased it yet so whether I get it or not remains to be seen! It’s all up in the air at this point because I can’t make up my mind what I want! Ack!
Or should I go for a more boho vibe? I also fell quite hard for my girl Shavonda’s from SG Style’s boho garden reveal over on Home Depot (seriously, it’s so fab) and it’s pulling me to go for softer, more organic colours and textures.
Of course, this is a wonderful covered porch and well, there is no cover at all (or walls) on our own patio so not sure if it will translate that well… gah. I’m so torn, can you tell?
If I do go for a more boho look out here, I’m thinking perhaps this rug (which would tie in nicely to the creamy cushions of the dining table and chairs…
And maybe a few nice textural cushions and a large cotton throw (that would need to be brought indoors when it rains of course):
Of course, no matter what I do, it’s gotta have a little bit of ‘glam’ in there for me and normally, that means touches of gold. I’m thinking of picking up these lovely hanging baskets from Rose & Grey…
I recently picked up this fab tray from H&M as well…
And I’ll probably be spraying some of my existing planters in gold as well! I just can’t help myself…
Anyway, I’m hoping to get to Homebase really soon if the weather gets better to start choosing some plants and planters and to make some decisions in terms of the direction I want to go here! We haven’t even been able to unbox all the furniture due to the weather so keep your fingers crossed this rain lets up so that I can share some of our progress very soon! I can’t wait to turn this neglected-for-the-last-6-months space looking much nicer!
What do you think of the selections so far? And which do you prefer? Punchy brights or comfy boho?
Disclaimer: Homebase have provided the garden furniture and will be supplying plants and planters for our makeover free of charge for my review but of course, as always, all words and opinions are my very own. I only work with companies I really like and think you’ll like too! Thanks for supporting the businesses that support Swoon Worthy.
I’m all for Boho! Which is not usually my style, but I love it for outdoor spaces. It makes everything more jungly and organic, and it’s more relaxed than black & white.
Also, rug advice: A few years ago I had one of these outdoor rugs that look like they’re made out of drinking straws. It was from popoular Danish brand House Doctor and it was lovely and pretty expensive. I put it on my balcony, and ok, it was a very warm and sunny summer, but the rug was bleached and blotchy after only four days! (I am not exaggerating here.) I only got one season’s use out of it, and when I flipped it over after about 6 weeks, because I thought at least let me look at the other (not yet sunbleached) side, it literally fell apart in a shower of plastic shards. :(
This is the before: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=417404917234&set=ms.c.eJwzMTQ3MTCxNDQ3MjbRM4FwjIyQOXAZc2MjS5AMAAqgCkI~-.bps.a.397542432234.173575.699082234&type=1&permPage=1
So pretty. Am supermad at myself for not making an “after” pic. I was so stupid five years ago! :D
Oh my god Alex, that’s AWFUL what happened with your rug!! I think that’s my biggest sticking point at the moment – I really want a boho rug that has nice colours in it and I can’t find anything I love. But I really thought those rugs were supposed to be good (I think most of them are made from recycled plastic – polypropylene if I’m not mistaken). What a disappointment. I wonder if anyone else had that experience or you just got a faulty one? And yes of course I’ve heard of House Doctor – they are not exactly a cheap brand.. Gah. Oh well, it was REALLY pretty at the time, it looked gorgeous! xxx
Yes, it was gorgeous, wasn’t it?! At the time I was too stupid/timid to make a big fuss with the shop I bought it from – that would be different to day. I AM A GROWN ASS WOMAN AND I WANT A DURABLE RUG, DAMMIT! :D
Back then I sort of reconciled myself to it and thought of it as a superexpensive flower: very pretty, very shortlived.
What bugged me more towards the end was the crumbling. I don’t know how the polypropylene can break down so fast, and I thought it would be impossible to fade in such a short time.
Ah well. Maybe I had a freak rug, and the others are great!
Oh, a blank slate :) I like both looks…hmmmm…maybe do a mix of both brights and boho? Then you can have the best of both worlds? xo
I was considering that but I can’t seem to find a bright boho rug I like! I need to keep searching lol Gahhhh I find outdoor spaces the hardest I have to admit! The selection here is just so limited! (With the weather, it’s not exactly a country that spends loads of time outdoors lol) xxx
Ooooh your garden is so so lovely sweets. Thanks so much for the shout out babes. You know boho gets my vote. I totally love the black shed too. Our shed is a huge dry rotted mess. We need to get rid of it for something a little smaller actually. I love your deck and i cant wait to see it all dolled up. I love the mix of textiles you used as inspiration. Very organic and relaxed, but with pops of gold drizzled in, itll look AMAZING!!!
Aww thank you darling for providing such amazing inspiration. I’m thinking you should just ship that whole porch to me and then PROBLEM SOLVED ;) But definitely will have those golds no matter what style I choose – I’m a total magpie, what can I say ;) And your garden is gonna look amazing all dolled up! So much potential! xxx
What potential you have in your garden! I am all for boho. It a very relaxing vibe for me – perfect for sipping wine or tea outside. I really like the furniture you chose. Love the rug in the blues and beiges and the tray is wonderful. Have fun!
Aww thanks so much! It seems most people are agreeing with you on going with a more boho style ;) Agree, it’s such a lovely relaxed vibe and that’s what lounging in the garden is all about, right?! :) xxx
Ok, so I love boho and that is kinda the style I have and therefore the one I would use for my yard. Buuuutttt….. with that said, I just see your yard in the punchy colors. With the black and white and then the bright accents, and of course the gold (!), it not only is more you, more like your interiors, but also better when you live where there’s not much sun. So even on cloudy summer days, you look out and see the bright colors :) And the “feel” of your inside then is carried outside. Does that make sense? I’m sure whichever way you go it will look fabulous, because you are awesome that way, but since you asked for my opinion, there it is! Can’t wait to see what you do :)
Totally makes sense and that’s exactly the reasons I first considered bright punchy colours! :) It’s more of an extension of what I have in my home, right? I think I may look and see if I can get a boho look but with some brighter colours – the selection of rugs here is so narrow so I’m struggling a little but I do like your thinking ;) Thanks so much! xxx
The garden furniture looks well its all a good choice, the colour scheme weeeeeell not too sure i like them both, i really do i think its a hard choice my head says bright colours for the dull days we get, but my heart says boho, but then again black white and gold, so i’m going to sit on the fence (sorry no pun intended lol) what ever you choose will look brilliant. Xxx
Hahaha! Hey I’m on the fence too so that makes two of us! ;) I think my problem is that I’d actually really like a boho style rug in punchy colours but can’t seem to find any that I really like! Give me an internal room and I’ve got no problem with it but an outside space? Ugh. The selection here is so limited and I’m not exactly loaded so trying to do what I want on a budget – no idea what I’ll decide! lol Better make up my mind soon though otherwise the summer will be over before you know it ;) And of course, there will be gold in there no matter what I do – bit of a magpie as you know ;) xxx
I do love boho for the garden for sure. Shavonda’s porch is awesome
I’m so not usually a commenter on blogs (as much as I love yours!), but just felt I had to share the love for black shed paint! Having just moved into a Victorian-era house in a village, we’ve been working hard to update the look while remaining sympathetic to the age of the property. So a black shed seemed a little radical, but I was partly inspired by Scandinavian summer houses which I just love. Anyway, that was just the beginning because after considering a whole range of colours for our very long garden fence, we also decided on black! It felt like a risky choice, but we feel totally vindicated now as the fence looks stylish, nicely on trend, and slightly formal which is a nice contrast to the rambling planting style in the garden. And of course, black provides an amazing backdrop in colour terms to plants, trees and flowers!
Your garden sounds amazing!! I would LOVE to be able to paint all our fence panels black as well – I just think it’s such an amazing look (the Scandis have it right!). Alas, our fencing is shared by our neighbours on both sides and I’m afraid that paint would go through the slats (no idea how we’d be able to paint just one side without getting paint dripping through the other) so it’s not something we can really do. I bet yours is gorgeous! xxx
Hi, you are so true about weather here in the north west. Your garden is looking good so far. I have yet to find my perfect butterfly bush tree, still searching for the perfect one I guess. Thanks for sharing with us and I hope you are getting sunshine where you are, it’s been lovely and warm here in Manchester today!
Aww I hope you find your butterfly bush Lisa! They are strange little plants and I think you need to keep trimming them back to get the shape you want because they are prone to go a bit ‘scraggly teenager’ on you if you don’t ;) And yes, it’s been beautiful the last two days! Yay! Of course, when it’s gorgeous weather, I’m busy working (boo) so can’t take advantage and get out in the garden lol I really want to paint that shed! xxx