Dressed for Spring      by Amanda Edney

At this time of year as the days get longer; our thoughts turn to the garden and outdoor living.  As a nation, we spend considerable amounts of time and money on our gardens but due to our unpredictable climate, we can’t always spend the time we would like outside.  The solution is to transform an area of your house into a ‘Garden Room’?  

Okay we haven’t all got an open plan living area, joined seamlessly to our outside space, a summerhouse or even a conservatory– but we can get the same effect by some simple re-decorating and updating of accessories and soft-furnishings.  In essence, creating a ‘garden room’ means pulling together indoor comforts and combining them with the natural delights of the garden to create a restorative, uplifting and comfortable space.  Through the use of plants, furnishings, colour and accessories, it is possible for anyone to express garden style wherever you live.

Let’s get started!

Space-clearing

First of all, you will need to decide where your ‘garden room’ is going to be.  Of course, if you’re lucky enough to have a conservatory, summerhouse or indeed a dining room that overlooks the garden – you’re halfway there!   Now is the time to reclaim your space and make your very own garden room.  The first thing you have to do is clear out the laundry baskets, kids toys and other paraphernalia that seems to accumulate in conservatories and summers houses. Invest in some baskets and wooden boxes to clear the clutter. Even if you don’t have an ‘extra’ room, simple changes in the living room, breakfast or dining room can still do the trick! 

Decorating in ‘garden style’

A lick of fresh paint will work wonders in creating your new space. When choosing a colour scheme let nature inspire you!  Light bright airy matt shades of white and cream with accents colours of greens, lavenders and blues work well in a garden scheme.  You may like to add a feature wall.  There are lots of wallpaper patterns inspired by nature in the shops to select from.  Don’t go overboard though - keep to just a small wall, or simply frame a piece of wallpaper to make an eye-catching piece of artwork.

Window dressings

In a garden room, the window becomes the focal point of the room so don’t forget to clean your windows!  Position mirrors to reflect views and light, and arrange furniture to make the most of the windows.  To emphasise light quality, the simplest solution is to have no window-dressings at all – then the eye is drawn outside, bringing the outside in!  At the very least, replace heavy curtains with simple blinds in natural materials e.g. wood or wicker filter.  Venetian blinds or louvres direct sunlight to create interesting patterns of light and shade and evoke a continental atmosphere.  Roman blinds are a simple and stylish window treatment and do not require massive amounts of fabric.   Panels of light-filtering translucent fabric such as lace, muslin or cotton work well in garden rooms, which are not overlooked.

Floors

Put away heavy winter rugs and use light-coloured kelims instead to soften hard floors or cover up old or tatty carpeting.   If you are lucky enough to have wooden floors under your carpet, consider getting rid of the carpet and renovate your floorboards by sanding and sealing with varnish or wax to reveal the natural warmth of wood.  If the thought of all that work is too much to bear – a simple sand and whitewash round the edges and a large natural rug in the centre may be all you need to do!  If you are thinking of replacing your carpets, consider natural fibres such as coir, sisal and seagrass for hardwearing, easy to maintain but attractive flooring.

Furniture

Relaxation is the theme of a room where inside and outside meet.  Do not be afraid to use ‘garden furniture’ inside: simple metal chairs, painted white; canvas deckchairs and cane/wicker furniture work well in a garden room. Consider adding a hanging wicker chair on a stand or an indoor hammock.   Traditional conservatory-style wicker furniture is simple in style, cheap, readily available and easy to adapt with paint or soft-furnishings and also adds textural interest.

Accessorise

If you can’t afford a complete redecoration, subtly change the emphasis with new soft-furnishings.  Loose covers are practical for cleaning and are an economical way of updating sofas and chairs.  Or for less cash, add a light-coloured throw.  Cushions are easy to make, using almost any fabric.  Use Indian cotton, striped ticking or light cotton in bright shades for a summery feel.  You can even recycle old curtains, tablecloths and off-cuts.  Anything faded and floral, simple patterns, checks or stripes will work well in a ‘garden room’. If feeling a little bolder, check out the latest trends in soft-furnishings: candy shades of pinks, greens and blues. Add texture to your scheme with natural materials, such as stone, brick, wood and wicker, pebbles and shells. Finishing touches include simple white accessories, such as white china or vases of cut flowers.

Plants

No ‘garden room’ is complete without living plants to freshen the air and maintain the connection with the outdoors.  When arranging houseplants, it’s better to group smaller plants together than to display them singly.  A sunny breakfast room can be transformed into a conservatory by adding palms and trailing, climbing plants such as ivy.  Oh yes, and hanging baskets don’t need to be confined to the front porch!  Flowering spring bulbs provide scent and sunny detail and look stunning simple white bowls.  Cut flowers of all varieties also help bring nature in and provide fresh accent colours to your scheme.  You can group flowers by colour, coordinate similar shades or opt for complete mixture – the choice is yours! 

All done, now grab a magazine, put your feet up and let the outside in…..!

©Amanda Edney 2008