Outdoor living inspiration

I have gardens on my mind this week (well, there was a brief glimmer of summer before the rain returned…). More specifically, I’ve been thinking about outdoor dining and lounging, and the idea of creating a ‘room’ outside.

We’ve recently moved from a flat with a large garden to a house with a much smaller plot, but I have a feeling we’re going to use our new outdoor space a lot more than the old one – it faces south west and catches the sun for most of the day, so I’m keen to make it as usable and inviting as possible. As always I’ve been trawling the web for inspiration, so I wanted to share some of the images that caught my eye.

All the schemes below work because they act as an extension of the indoor space. They have comfy seating or dining areas (some built-in, others with freestanding furniture) dressed with throws, scatter cushions and pretty lighting, and they centre around a focal point much like any room inside. What’s more, they all combine a bit of outdoor rusticity with sleeker touches (concrete, grey and monochrome tones, iconic chairs) to create spaces that would look equally good in a country or city garden. I’d be happy to linger over dinner or curl up with a book and a glass of wine in any of them!

Images via (from top) Broste Copenhagen, Design Therapy, Coco + Kelly and karwei.nl, Designed for Life, My Scandinavian Home, anetteshus.com, La Garbatella, Design Therapy, and Rowen & Wren.

You can find more inspiration for outdoor living on my Pinterest board.