I’ve harped on about my garden both on these pages and across social media and had a good old whinge about the progress in my June gardening post. I’m pleased to report the courtyard is now finished so do stay tuned as I’ll be sharing the images from the final makeover later next week.

In the meantime for our new Sunday post I thought I’d share the inspiration for our courtyard make-over. We at RMS are well aware we haven’t had a huge amount of decor inspiration on the site recently but hold tight as this will all change during July.

My garden had good bones but after a series of exceptionally busy summers, the teeny area had become overgrown and unloved. At the start of the last autumn we started to put the wheels in motion to ensure summer 2015 wasn’t spent drowning in a sea of weeds.

Inspiration

Wish List

  • I was keen to move away from dark brown fencing and embrace a more contemporary colourway such as slate grey as demonstrating in the outdoor dining space above.
  • Storage was an absolute must but with no room for a garden shed we had to think creatively
  • The overgrown shrubs and bushes on one side of the garden were blocking light so they had to go. I then wanted to replace them with something low maintenance to aid privacy and light and so set about finding a supplier of pleached trees.
  • In such a small space I wanted to stick to a planting colour scheme to make the garden appear cohesive and give the illusion of space. Given my obsession for cut flowers I also wanted to add in perennials to keep my vases filled through the summer.
  • I wanted to rescue our pergola from drowning in wisteria and create a new entertaining area underneath we could enjoy (like the one in the gallery via Houzz). Previously this area was an odd mix of slate chippings and partial patio.
  • As a huge fan of the bar cart I wanted to add in an all-weather UK version. The whimsical set-up in the gallery above from Glitter Guide was absolutely beautiful but not practical for our space.
  • I was also keen to add in some new furniture pieces to complement the traditional wooden furniture we had. I have already ordered a range of garden furniture which fits perfectly with the style of my garden from my favorite furniture site, but I still have to find a few garden lights to make the place look amazing in the night. I fell in love with the Tolix style stools from this image on Flickr. An industrial vibe seemed to sit well with the distressed wall backdrop.
  • I wanted to add additional lighting to create an outdoor room we could revel in of an evening.
  • Finally I wanted to load up on cushions, pouffes and throws to make the space as comfortable as possible taking inspiration from the new ikea range. As we don’t have any grass, we have a variety of paved and gravelled surfaces instead which can appear stark. I adored the boho scene from Design Love Fest and wanted to add in my own little splash of bohemian chic.

So did I achieve the industrial-boho-traditional fusion look I was hoping for?! Did I tick off all the elements on my wish list? Well you’ll have to wait and see! I’ll be sharing the befores and more importantly the afters later on this week. Have a great Sunday.