We were over the moon with all the feedback we received on our recent interiors post and are working hard on some upcoming posts that will hopefully give you lots of inspiration. A few of you mentioned that your next project is tackling the outside of your house, so today is the very first of our garden features.

Last Summer I had a very relaxing trip to Croatia with my other half, my sister and her husband. After an exhausting day lazing on the beach we’d head up to a bar to relax on their day beds with a beer or two. One day it was mentioned how great it would be to have a similar set up at home, minus the pole that was also part of the bar decor…
Now there are many times I’ve been on my hols and been tempted to bring back a bit of the local style. In the cold light of day this doesn’t always translate particularly well, (an African inspired downstairs loo in the Midlands?) so I have thought long and hard about whether or not we could replicate an outdoor lounge idea in our own garden.

Our cottage has an ample sized courtyard garden. Some very clever soul landscaped the area before we owned the house and now we have an elevated patio area to make the most of the limited sun. The one thing the courtyard doesn’t have is storage. Not one scrap of it. Spades, compost and dead plants (does anyone else keep hold of theirs imagining that they’ll miraculously revive themselves?) are all on full view.
Given the proportions of the garden I’m thinking a shed would look pretty ridiculous and so we’ve been working on a plan to combine the outdoor seating idea with some much needed storage.

We’re planning on making use of an under-utilised area that we have to the right hand side of our pergola and build some form of snazzy lounge with wooden seating. When all the outdoor cushions etc are removed the wooden base would be hinged to allow access inside to store general garden things.

In the inspiration pictures there are many snaps of beautiful billowing curtains which to be honest are likely to get completely trashed in a Great British Downpour, however I do think I might grab few Ikea panels on my next jaunt to bring out for parties. From a lighting perspective I’m imagining festoon lighting (picked up from Ikea last year) and lanterns dotted amongst the trees.

I’ll leave the structural stuff to my other half and so at the moment I’m researching waterproof cushions and mattresses and hopefully I’ll have something to share with you all soon.

How do you deal with outdoor storage? Do share what you’re getting up to in your own garden and please let me know if you know of anywhere to buy outdoor cushions that don’t cost the earth?!

Image sources: Bright cushions and parasol | Bright cushions and drapes | Covered area with floor cushions | Covered area with leaves | Pallet Day Bed | Lift-up storage | White panelled seating Bed with throw | Lantern and drapes