Here Kel Harmer, Founder of
Oh So Kel is sharing 10 unique garden decor ideas you may not have considered, enabling you to bring a stamp of personality and creativity to your space beyond the predictable.
ohsokel.com is the home of unique chic homeware and inspiration for beautiful living by Kel Harmer, Interior Stylist, Founder of OSK, Business Insider ’42 under 42′ list 2021 and winner of ‘Best Home Blog’.
1. CREATE AN INDOOR-OUTDOOR LOOK BY THINKING BEYOND ‘GARDEN’ DECOR
You’ll no doubt have considered planting up borders and pots, laying a patio for garden furniture, and weighing up real vs fake grass, but have you considered the space in the same way you would a room inside? This is when design boundaries can be pushed and it becomes really exciting! We bought a second-hand wooden fireplace, treated it with exterior paint (leftovers from the summer house), and turned it into a feature, complete with mirrors and decorative accessories. It’s helped to dress a blank wall that doesn’t see the sun and created an exciting feature that is unique to us too.
2. UPCYCLE ITEMS TO GIVE YOUR GARDEN CHARACTER
Wooden pallets are often listed as ‘free collection’ on local social media sites from businesses who want them gone from their premises and there are so many upcycling possibilities for them in the garden. Mount them on the wall and make a fold-down bar with lengths of chain, stack them together and add cushions to create a seating area, or lay them in a row for informal entertaining such as picnics, tapas, or BBQs. If you have or find an old wooden stepladder you could make it a feature with potted plants and little hooks for garden tools and accessories.
Image credit:
Future PLC/Tim Young3. THINK ABOUT ZONING
Zoning your garden will make the space feel more intentional and organised, giving each area a purpose and allowing you to maximise the space without it seeming cluttered. This can be done with different flooring, screens, and planters, or perhaps outdoor rugs for a seating or dining area. The result is one space with multiple zones that all feel distinct, each different from one another yet harmonious together.
Lavastone4. CREATE A KIDS’ PLAY AREA
For young families, it’s important to allocate one of the ‘zones’ for the children, perhaps in a shadier spot. This could involve a sandpit, outdoor kitchen, play equipment, or perhaps a blackboard with pots of chalks hung from a rail on the fence or wall.
5. PAINT CAN BE TRANSFORMATIVE
It’s obvious to think that colour and brightness can be introduced to an outdoor space through its plants, but thinking beyond that and considering the effects of paint is another option. This could be painting a summerhouse in a beautiful colour then carrying this through by painting old plant pots (or in our case, an old wooden fire surround!), painting the fence in a light stone or grey to modernise it and brighten up dark spots, or painting dark red brick with white as we did in our own garden.
This could be the year of your new outdoor living room. Garden art and sculptures, mirrors, outdoor rugs, and external lounge furniture help create a stylish sanctuary to relax. Add a firepit to stay snug and you’ll also get more use out of your new space during the cooler months.