Garden styling ideas: inspiration to decorate your garden
by
Checkatrade

From the small and quaint to the grand and expansive, gardens of all shapes and sizes offer an opportunity for outside living – depending on what you do with them. Be it a minor design tweak or largescale landscaping you’re looking into, we’ve put together a collection of garden styling ideas to give you the inspiration you need to start planning.

Remember, you don’t need to be a green-fingered gardener to build a beautiful outside space (although it certainly helps!)

This summer, it’s time to get crafty and creative with lights, fencing and furniture – trust us, you’ll be impressed with the good work you can do on a budget!

Garden decorating ideas on a budget

Cheap garden ideas can often turn into big plans when inspiration hits. However, decorating your garden doesn’t have to be a big investment. If you’re looking to style your garden on a budget, there are a number of low-cost, high impact changes you can make to add character.

Give new life to old furniture

If you’ve recently renovated a room in your property, there’s a good chance you have several items of furniture going unused.

Before you start filling your basket with new tables, chairs and planters-a-plenty, look around: is there an armchair that could lend itself well to a reading nook in your garden?

Could a cluttered ladder shelf be transformed into a potted plant display? If you’ve recently transformed a guest bedroom into an office, you might have cushions to pinch for a patio lounge area.

Lean into shabby chic

On that note, if old wooden furniture looks tired, there could be life in it yet! Shabby chic is a trend in itself, celebrating furniture that has an appearance of being worn, torn or distressed deliberately to achieve an antique-feel.

If you’re looking for cheap garden styling ideas that add personality, try sanding down a varnished wooden chest and applying a coat of water-based acrylic primer.

Paint your chest of drawers in “heritage” colours like cream white, duck egg blue or pale green to make for the perfect upcycled potting station in your garden.

Add a splash of colour to your garden

A confident colour scheme can turn a patch of land into a garden room you can be proud of. This works well in small gardens to add style where space is limited.

Beyond dining furniture, colour schemes should complement the exterior of your property and the flowers and foliage you have or are going to plant. If your garden is blooming with bright flowers, for example, you might want to keep your garden furniture and decorations a softer shade for a calming effect.

Alternatively, go bold with contrasting colours planters, throws, cushions and table covers to give character to an outdoor dining area. If you’re unsure which colours will work well together, we recommend using a colour wheel to select a pleasing garden palette.

Shape up your lawn

It doesn’t take much work to turn a grassy lawn into a landscaped haven. Try cutting your lawn into neatly defined shapes, leaving a soil border perfect for planting flowers. A circle, square or oblong are the easiest to achieve, but if you’re well-experienced in garden design, don’t hesitate to get creative! Mark the area with string and use a spade to remove excess lawn.

Small garden decoration ideas

Whether you’re decorating your garden on a budget or have set aside the cash to splash on a complete renovation, a small garden can be brought to life in a number of ways. Although you are limited in space, you aren’t restricted in creativity! A modest lawn can make for a beautiful secret garden with the right décor.

Build a fairy garden

Fancy yourself as a bit of an artiste? Looking for garden styling ideas to make a statement with your outdoor space? Hone your craft and let your imagination run wild by transforming a small lawn into an enchanting fairy garden.

Hanging lanterns or battery-powered fairy lights from fences, trees and bushes is a great way to add a touch of magic, while a stone path can add mystique.

This aesthetic is complemented by overgrown beds bursting with flowers and ferns – an ornamental toadstool or two wouldn’t go amiss, either.

To truly lure the fairies into your land, fill coloured planters with soil and add miniature furnishings from dolls houses to bring it all together!

How to build a minimalist garden

From the Japanese to the Scandinavian, cultures dealing with small spaces have adapted well to the size limitations of their land through minimalist design. Take a leaf out of their books and work with your garden to build a minimalist space that maximises style.

Make no mistake: minimalist design isn’t just about having fewer items in your garden. A cohesive colour scheme is an essential feature of minimalist garden design. Garden furniture and planters should be contemporary in style with a clean and stylish finish: sharp edges are welcome here!

Paving is often the perfect choice for flooring in a minimalist garden, but we wouldn’t advise doing this yourself if you don’t have prior experience. Neatness is the cornerstone of minimalism, so ask a professional to help you achieve the perfect finish to paved floors.

Make the most of your garden fences

Their main purpose may be to create privacy, but don’t write garden fences off as a purely functional element of your outdoor space.

Treat your fences like a blank canvas and use decorative elements to add a stylish frame to your garden.

Different types of fence will lend themselves to different styles. For instance, a chain-link fence will benefit from plant-life weaving through the wire mesh, while a wooden fence could be brought to life with colourful bird-houses lining the length of your garden.

Terrace garden decoration ideas

So you don’t have a sprawling garden – no biggie! A terrace garden is still an opportunity to create a stylish outdoor space you can enjoy all year round. If you’re looking for garden styling ideas for your terrace, don’t despair at the lack of space.

Get some coverage

Terrace gardens can make for the perfect space to lounge, dine or entertain guests in the warmer months. However, a terrace garden that doesn’t provide much privacy or looks straight onto a neighbouring flat isn’t exactly inviting.

What’s more, when the sun is shining brightly, harmful rays can be off-putting for homeowners eager to take advantage of the nice weather. A two-birds-one-stone approach is to install a garden shade sail, canopy or parasol to your terrace, and the designs are many.

This small hack can make a big difference, and depending on your choice, could even allow you to use your terrace when the inevitable British rain takes over!

Corners are for sofas

Garden styling ideas often focus on dining furniture, gazebos and water features – but what to do when your outside space is a small terrace or balcony? If space and budget allow, a corner sofa can be the perfect solution for transforming your terrace into the ultimate outdoor lounge space.

Look for outdoor sofas in materials like wicker or rattan as they are light, colourful and allow air circulation. They aren’t strictly waterproof, but a coat of varnish and a rain cover will extend their lifespan considerably.

It’s also smart to buy outdoor corner furniture that comes in single seating units, rather than a full sofa, allowing you to build a shape that works for your garden.

Plants are your friends

A terrace garden in a city flat cries out for plant life – but think carefully when choosing your plants. Diversity of size can really make a difference, so try to get a good balance of large plants, shrubs, small trees and ground covers.

While a full fruit and veg patch is probably off the table, a mini allotment can be made by recycling old drawers, crates or planters to plant seeds for fresh herbs.

An empty wall or fence could be perfect for a trellis, where you can either weave climbing plants or hang planters with blossoming flowers.