How To Make Your Exterior Work Like an Interior Space
Gardens and outdoor spaces have become increasingly in demand over the last year due to our more home-centric existence, so it’s no surprise that there is now a lot of emphasis placed on presenting outdoor space to its maximum potential, both for sales and rentals.
Aesthetics notwithstanding, it’s also how we can use our exterior spaces that is most important; providing another room or area for singles, couples or families to enjoy and use all year round.
While some people have a gift at gardening and styling spaces - both indoor and out, others find it a little harder to visualise. This is where wonderful people like Lucy Clark of Studio Clark + Co come along.
An interior designer with a penchant for History of Art and 12 years designing luxury homes in and around London, Lucy is also very well versed in exterior design, having provided interior design input and elements for Chris Beardshaw’s Gold award winning Morgan Stanley Gardens at the Chelsea Flower Show in 2018 and 2019.
Photos: Chris Beardshaw’s Gold award winning Morgan Stanley Gardens at the Chelsea Flower Show in 2018 and 2019 by Andrew Beasley
Top tips making your outdoor area the perfect ‘interior’ space
1. Zoning: I’m currently designing a garden in Richmond, London with three zoned spaces; relaxation, BBQ dining and an area to enjoy different angles of the garden. If you have the space, try zoning like you would an open plan living area. The gardens I furnished and styled for Chris Beardshaw at the RHS Chelsea Flower show were compact, yet he was clever enough to create zoned spaces for contemplation, relaxation and dining. So, it can be done, even in smaller spaces.
2. Treat your outside as an extension of inside: I like to design terrace areas as an extension of the interior living spaces, with sofas and day beds toning with the interior soft furnishings. It is remarkable how the fabric and furniture industry have evolved their outdoor collections, which were once rubbery, uncomfortable fabrics and upholstery. Now, companies like Minotti London, Manutti and Coco Wolf, have created furniture that are luxurious, comfortable and can be used inside too! There is also another lovely luxury brand called Mckinnon and Harris who have designed beautiful metal pieces of furniture in an array of stunning colours.
3. Go neutral with upholstery and accessorise with colour: I tend to choose neutral upholstery fabrics and be playful with scatter cushions and accessories. As tastes and trends evolve, these are easier to update or change.
4. Go timeless with furniture style. I lean towards good quality, timeless furniture. There is currently a shortage of teak furniture, so Iroko is fast becoming a favourable alternative and is also incredibly durable. We recently chose a fantastic iroko table top from Manutti, with dark metal legs teamed with matching dark metal dining chairs with warm bronze cord detailing to the seat and backs. It’s very glamorous but understated.
5. Rug up: Exterior rugs/inset carpets are fast becoming a staple addition to gardens to help with zones. Soften tiled floors to really enhance that indoor/outdoor vibe. Most rug companies are now offering indoor/outdoor rug collections so it’s a lovely transition to see.
6. Go Faux! Many tile companies like Mandarin Stone are also manufacturing brilliant faux concrete, marble and stone tiles in varying sizes should your existing tiling require a refurbishment on a budget. Chris Beardshaw used a stunning zinc tile from Mandarin stone, which looked incredible as a feature wall as well as underwater. I sourced beautiful Eddy Leaves from Haberdashery Lighting which added a different dimension to the feature wall.
7. Pizza the action: Not just satisfied with BBQs and firepits, we’re going Mediterranean with a huge uplift in demand for fully serviced outdoor kitchen, including bespoke pizza ovens! My Richmond client has designed a built-in BBQ area with solid concrete top with their Garden designer. Gas and power supplies were planned during the beginning of the renovations, so even an exterior fridge could be added to chill drinks if required.
8. Factor in utilities: As mentioned above, power is key for exterior spaces, in order to add feature lighting to enhance architectural features, plants and trees and provide gas and electricity for outdoor kitchens. This can usually be fairly easily run from your home by a certified Gas technician or electrician, but if you’re doing renovations, plan this in at the beginning and it will be a lot easier and cheaper too than bringing someone back in after the rest of the work is complete.
