As the summer continues to be a scorcher, outdoor spaces and our gardens become the social haven of the house. A place to spend time with friends and family, to catch up on some reading or even just catch some zs. The garden can be a lovely place to be if treated right and give the right preparation for comfort.

However, this isn’t always the case and it can be very easy to over or under do it with your garden to take from an ideal leisure space into somewhere that isn’t nice to be. We’ve put together a small but thorough list of top tips to make sure you are maximising your outdoor space and keeping it as the luxury escape it should be.

Tip 1 : Pick a spot and stick with it.

Your garden can be quite a big area and the possibilities are relatively endless. This makes design and general outdoor management and maintenance difficult as you have so many areas you can focus on. In the beginning though, it really pays to focus on a specific area of your garden. Make that area, typically the patio or a nice sheltered area, your main hub and aim all your energy there to make it into the perfect place to be. This is not only cheaper but also gives you more opportunity to experiment and try different things out.

Tip 2 : Invest in lighting.

While you’ll want to make the most of your space in the sunshine, never underestimate the value of a proper lighting setup. They can really help set the ambience and the right lighting can help establish the perfect mood. There are a great variety of brilliant lighting options available and it’s definitely something we’ll look at in the future. However at this time, we’ll simply say that we highly recommend looking around and finding the right lighting system for your theme. Hanging lights, spotlights, candles and towers are all available and offer a lot of benefits to your garden.

Tip 3 : Choose a pleasant and consistent colour scheme

A well-chosen colour scheme can transform a backyard and give it a sense of harmony. It can also help to have colour schemes for hot and cold weather seasons so that you have cool colours for warmer months (your blues and greens) and more warming colours in the winter period (your reds, browns and yellows).

Whatever colour scheme you choose, the key is to keep it relatively consistent. This doesn’t mean that if you pick red, you should only use red. Contrast is still important. It just means that the colours you pick should all make sense and combine with your central theme. All too often, garden furniture can seem really haphazard and all over the place which creates a real off-putting feel to your garden.

Tip 4 : Check out some ambience enhancements

Part of being outdoors is the calming nature of it all but there’s also a magical element to it that is difficult to explain. To enhance this, you can look at some special showpieces. For the summer months, this can come in the form of a fountain. The trickling water sound is wonderfully calming and depending on how much you want to spend, you can get some really nice and grand fountains that make your garden feel quite different. For the winter months, you could check out a fire pit. The crackle of a live fire is always exciting and it creates a really cozy atmosphere, like a campfire. You can even do s'mores over it to really capture that vibe. There are some really solid portable examples out there and some combo examples that double as a barbecue or pizza oven. While you’re unlikely to want something that grand and expensive, a firepit is highly recommended as a centrepiece for your outdoor space.

Tip 5 : Consider eating spaces

One of the main attractions of a great outdoor space is that it can be a great place to dine and have big food events like a BBQ. Baring that in mind, you’ll need to consider how you want your guests to eat and socialise. There should always be some fluidity and flexibility to your space, allowing for more guests or those with specific needs. However, you’ll want some form of hub for eating and socialising during your meet-ups as planning ahead allows things to feel more organised and structured and you reduce the risk of people feeling left out or not being able to really group together.

A long table is a traditional choice as it’s good for space and it allows a lot of people to group together. However, you may also consider a few smaller tables. This allows for groups to gather and it also gives people more space. Also, smaller tables are easier to move around if needed or if you want to take advantage of shade or if conditions worsen.

Speaking of coverage, you’ll also want to consider some form of shelter. Gazebos are really popular and classy outdoor features, however they also cost a fair amount of money, can be hard to place in small gardens and are obviously permanent fixtures. Retractable shade cloths provide more flexibility for conditions and there are many different sizes available but not everyone gets on with them and they can be a hassle to set up and maintain. Removable umbrellas are a classic outdoor cover; cheap, easy to move and a good size. Also, they can be put away to avoid rust or decolourisation. However, cheap ones can often be wrecked by winds and they can be a bit of a pain to set up.

There are just a few small tips to help make your garden and outdoor space an easier and more pleasurable place to live in. They may seem small but they can make a lot of difference. Outdoor design and furnishing is relatively easy, you just want to be consistent and focus on the right areas. Nail these two principles and it couldn’t be easier and it can be surprisingly enjoyable to get more hands on with your work and try out different themes and styles. We hope this has inspired you to get stuck in and given you a good idea of where to begin.