Creating a summer sanctuary – Ten tips for the perfect ‘Fifth Room’
If you’re planning to sell or are looking forward to weekend barbecues and long evenings of entertaining in your garden this summer, you’ll want to make sure your outdoor space is ship shape.
Just as the ceiling is seen as the ‘fifth wall’ in interior design, garden designers refer to gardens as the ‘fifth room’, a space that maximises the enjoyment you get from your home – as well as adding to its value.
But how do you take your garden to the next level and achieve that seamless transition between indoor and outdoor living?
Dust off the deckchairs
Before you splash out on expensive garden furniture or plan a garden redesign, take stock of what you already have and give it a new lease of life. Remove any garden furniture covers now that the weather has warmed up. Most are made with weatherproof materials like PVC, which can soften or melt under direct sunlight, and that will leave permanent marks and residue. Whether you’ve got wooden, rattan, or metal pieces, sweep away leaves and dirt with a soft brush, following up with a bucket of warm soapy water and a sponge. Wash cushion covers and add a light coat of protective oil or wax to wooden furniture. This helps it to maintain its colour and slows down the appearance of surface cracks. For older wood, sand back rough patches before applying your finish.
Invest in a showstopper
The current trend is to add a permanent structure like a pergola, cabin, or outdoor kitchen to create a showstopping – and sociable – space. Statement lighting, firepits and patio heaters then add atmosphere and ambience.
Bury House in Slapton, Bedfordshire has an oak framed covered terrace which was added in 2022 by award-winning NJW Landscapes Ltd. With ample space for a table to seat 12, this outdoor room is fully wired for lighting and appliances and includes a wine fridge, and a slate topped kitchen counter. Steps lead down to a paved open-air terrace, and both dining and entertaining areas overlook the secluded rear garden.
https://michaelgraham.co.uk/property/ayl190314/
Saunas
The Garden Room Co, which specialises in garden offices, has added saunas to its repertoire to meet customer demand – prices start at 12,000. Convenient, private and an ideal way to unwind, a sauna in your garden fits with this season’s wellness trend for hormone balancing and meditation.
https://www.thegardenroomco.uk/
Natural swimming ponds
Wild water swimming has never been more popular, and with concern over levels of bacteria in our wild waterways, a swimming pond in your garden is the best option of all. Even if wild water swimming isn’t your thing, a natural pool trumps a chlorine pool for many, as although expensive to put in, there’s no heating bill and no plastic cover to look at for nine months of the year. Gartenart are the UK’s leading swimming pond company with over 200 swimming ponds and natural swimming pools designed and built in the UK.
For the ultimate in waterside alfresco evenings, Lock Keeper’s Cottage in Ilford, Peterborough, is hard to beat. There are several paved seating areas to choose from, including a hot tub area and a covered dining area. A recently installed deck with seating and a firepit is just steps from the house in a sheltered area of the river – the perfect oasis to fish from or unwind as the sun goes down.
https://michaelgraham.co.uk/property/bed220730/
Choose your dining spot
For a dining area, it’s all about location. Choose a spot with plenty of sunlight and think about providing shade too. If natural shade is limited, cantilever parasols are an ideal way to create a cooler corner, and they can rotate to follow the sun throughout the day. Plus, when the sun dips, they double as a stylish backdrop to an evening gathering. Existing archways, stone walls, or hedges can help to frame a dining area without the need for a complete redesign, and paved areas are the perfect foundation for a stylish seating area.
The Old Rectory in Shefford, Bedfordshire has wraparound gardens featuring a paved entertaining area which takes advantage of screening and shade provided by surrounding trees.
https://michaelgraham.co.uk/property/hit210255/
L-shaped sofas
From the DIY stores to the designer furniture suppliers, the trends are pointing towards maximising comfort. Deeply cushioned L-shaped sofas are the perfect way to maximise seating and optimise floor space, and are being snapped up across the country.
Accessories
Finishing touches of throws, cushions and weather-resistant rugs all create a dining space that feels as warm and inviting as your indoor space. Habitat, John Lewis and Cox and Cox all have a range of outdoor lighting and accessories to help you get summer ready. And from the budget brands to luxury labels, much of the new season’s garden furniture is the colour of summer foliage.
Candles
Nothing beats an outdoor candle for adding ambience to al fresco evenings in your garden. Varieties with natural citronella oil have the added benefit of keeping bugs at bay.
https://www.daylesford.com/shop/garden/outdoor-living/outdoor-candles
Paint
A pot of paint transforms an outdoor space, making it more appealing to humans and wildlife. If you have a fenced area or timber-clad wall, a bright colour that mimics the colours of nectar-rich flowers can attract butterflies and bees to your garden. Little Greene has a range of colours in Intelligent Exterior Eggshell.
Low maintenance planting
Wildflower meadows and the typical English country garden style of planting – roses, salvias, and foxgloves – are here to stay. The emphasis is on low maintenance with a trend towards an organic and flowing garden. Happily for time-strapped gardeners, this gives permission for things to get a bit overgrown. For a helping hand and a wonderful day out to boot, you can discover how to sow and grow with a month-by-month series of courses at Daylesford Farm in the Cotswolds. Each course is focused on one seasonal flower, fruit, or plant.
https://www.daylesford.com/shop/events/the-gardening-club-workshops
The gardens at Arakoola in Bromham, Bedfordshire, have been expertly landscaped for ease of maintenance. For outdoor entertaining, a decked area at the rear of the house has lighting and raised planters with Mediterranean themed plants and bushes.
