Bold Bohemia
Ideas for styling your outdoor space
Whether you are working with a large outdoor space or a limited patio area, your garden space should be a little haven from hectic everyday life, a place you can enjoy a spell of sunshine or take 10 minutes to prepare for the day ahead with a coffee.
Whether you are maximalist or minimalist, there are 4 key concepts behind the Bold Bohemia blog post;
celebrate your shared communal space. Make your garden a welcoming space to share with friends, housemates or loved ones
recreate your favourite adventure. Through plants, colourful walls or arranging the space in a specific way, evoke a favourite holiday memory or recreate a little bit of your favourite country to enjoy all year round.
help the environment. Plant native species for bees or create a hedgehog corridor, simply planting more greenery can be one small step in helping you make your space that little bit more environmentally friendly
get off the grid. Leave your phone inside and simply enjoy sitting out and watching your little piece of the world. You’ll be amazed at what you can see even in the smallest of urban spaces.
So, here’s 10 tips you can use to maximise your outdoor space all year round;
Identify your space and style.
Do you have a patio area to work with or are you undertaking a large garden area with lots of different components? Do you like a Moroccan style seating area, a calm Japanese oriental style oasis, or do you prefer a traditional English garden feel? Pinterest can be a great starting point to build a visual mood board of ideas and accessories, or tear out images from magazines that you would like to incorporate.
Make it weather proof.
As we live in the UK, do you have some covered space to take shelter from the inevitable rain? Awnings are a great option for both rain and providing shade in small spaces and can be made from a wide variety of designs to suit your personal style. If you have a bigger space to work with, why not create an all year round garden bolt hole with a small summer house? Add a small well stocked bar for summer cocktails and winter warmers under blankets.
Seated space.
Garden benches, oversized floor cushions or a covered swing seat are all great options for providing a comfortable option to enjoy your garden. A bench with a liftable seat is a great space saving idea for those that have limited space and need somewhere to store outside blankets and cushions.
Accessorise.
Candle lamps, fire pits, chimera ovens can all add interest and are a social way to both keep warm and add visual interest. Cushions and blankets can also make a big difference to the feel of the garden; use a mix of clashing colours and patterns for an eclectic feel or keep them natural and coordinated for a calming neutral backdrop to let your plants do the talking. (Just like @my.interior.tales has done here)
Add a water feature.
There are some great options for all budgets, whether you go for a mediterranean style water spout (great for small terraced areas) or for a more traditional pond and fountain style set up, running water instantly adds a calming, elegant touch.
Create you own wall mural.
Here in Bristol, there’s an amazing variety of wall art all over the city, why not incorporate some into your own space? Go all out and commission an artist to do a piece for you, or make it a family activity and create you own. This is a great option if you like to regularly update your space, as you can repaint and come up with something new as often as you like!
Grow your own.
Why not mix up your borders and beds or your potted plants with a mix of decorative and useful? Grow your own herbs and vegetables in amongst your more traditional garden plants for a beautiful blend of functionality and decorative.
Grow a green wall.
There are many ways and means of creating your own lush vertical greenery. Climbing plants like clematis, honeysuckle and jasmine all smell and look beautiful. If you’re limited on space, converting available walls to growing pot-happy plants is a simple and effective way to maximise your space.
Mix it up.
Using a variety of heights, sizes and placement is a great way to make a small space look bigger, or create a flowing eye-line around a larger space. Coordinate colours of pots and plants to stop it being overwhelming
Time it right.
In order to maximise your enjoyment throughout the year, plant a mix of plants that are evergreen, and those that flower at differing times throughout the year. This will help prevent soil fatigue and make sure you have something nice to look at all year round. Move more exotic potted plants inside during the winter months to protect them, then mix in with your outdoor plants when the weather picks up.
We’d love to hear if you tried any of these, either leave a comment below or tag us on your social media and as always, please feel free to share with anyone you think might enjoy!