Indoors Out

Bringing the Indoors Out

Get truly comfortable in the garden by turning it into a fully functioning outdoor living room, warm and well-lit, with relaxing seating and lovely finishing touches.

This decorative textured rope light has a warm white solar bulb with an amber filament. After charging during daylight hours, it works for up to eight hours at a time.

LED solar garden light, £65, ellajames.co.uk

Woven around a strong metal frame in a smooth egg shape, this hanging chair is made from durable materials that look just like rattan. It’s big enough to snuggle up in with a book and a glass of wine. This tiled table contains its own fire pit (or ice bowl) and is surrounded by four low-level dining chairs with weather-resistant cushions.

Ava four-seater tile firepit outdoor living set, £899, dobbies.com

ALL THE INGREDIENTS FOR AL FRESCO LIVING

• If you’re planning on spending lots of time outdoors this summer, and keeping those sunny days going well into the evenings, think first of providing shady spots, and then of some form of warmth. Pile up blankets and throws, for sure, but consider a gas or electric heater or – more romantically – a fire pit.

• To extend day into night you’ll need outdoor lighting: some functional, simply to see what you’re barbecuing or pouring into a glass, and some decorative, just to make the space look and feel gorgeous. It may be relatively easy to add a protected outdoor plug socket (ask a qualified electrician), and add a dramatic floor lamp or set of fairy lights. Alternatively, there’s a vast range of good-quality solar lights to choose from these days and, of course, candles and night lights look incredibly pretty, and can be protected from breezes with lanterns and jars.

• Seating is all-important, whether it’s upright seats and a table for dining, bar sets for informal drinks with friends or sofas and squashy chairs for lounging. These days, outdoor furniture can look just like your upholstered living room furniture, but of course there are always the classics of outdoor rattan, wood and metal. Look for versatile furnishings such as rise-and-fall tables that take you from coffee to dining, or pieces that are grouped around their own fire table. Have fun by adding cocoons, hammocks and swing seats as occasional spots for relaxation.

• Finishing touches pull the whole indoor/outdoor look together, from patterned outdoor rugs to piles of cushions, plus quirky outdoor eating sets and colourful glassware. With imagination and flair you can have great fun setting up a welcoming garden ‘room’, a truly special place to spend the days – and nights…

Indoor outdoor hanging chair, £425, coxandcox.co.uk

Made from recycled plastic bottles, this rug can withstand moisture, mildew, mould and UV light. Its design is reversible: simply flip over for a new look.

This retro-meetsmodern garden bench features a traditional peacockstyle metal frame and an ultra-chic pattern in a playful shade of pink.

Pretty pink metal garden bench, £195, rockettstgeorge.co.uk

A rust-resistant steel frame holds a 3m polyester canopy for protection from sun and rain. Elegant and practical.

Sail shade gazebo, £299, dobbies.com

Hand-made in the UK using high-quality British steel, this fire pit comes with a detachable barbecue swing arm and in seven sizes.

Plain Jane fire pit, from £233, firepitsuk.co.uk When a real lawn just isn’t possible, a spot of fake turf can add a splash of colour and a quirky sense of comfort.

Bute artificial grass, £14.99 per square metre, carpetright.co.uk