In recent years, the British have fully embraced outdoor living, and begun investing in creating additional space in their garden for relaxing and having fun.
Part of this is the growing trend for hosting parties and family gatherings in the fresh air. It means lots of room for little ones to run around with no fear of damage to furniture or ornaments, a place where spilled drinks don’t matter, and you can eat delicious no-fuss barbecues or picnics.
Outdoor socialising can be in the warmth of the summer sun, cosy beneath covers on a chilly autumn day or late into the evening beneath a blanket of stars.
So, what are the best ways to create a garden that’s ideal for entertaining or for fun family times?
Look to layout
Your garden design matters if you are going to be using it for gatherings of visitors or your household’s own outdoor living.
For example, creating a patio or decking at the far end of your garden might give you the best view, but is it going to be a nuisance for carrying food, beverages and paraphernalia for socialising? Perhaps the hard-standing area of your garden should be as near to your kitchen door as possible.
Keep kids away!
Even if you don’t have young children or dogs, your visitors might. If you plan on incorporating water features of any kind think safety, but also mess.
Anything in your garden that’s fragile or precious – such as a lovingly nurtured flower display – needs to be kept well away from the areas of high footfall too.
Games area
Part of the trick to good garden design for socialising is creating a focal point and somewhere for visitors and family to gather or play garden games. This is not just your decking or patio either, unless it’s a particularly large one!
An expanse of quality fake grass is ideal for this purpose. It can be used for additional garden furniture, children’s equipment and games fun, without fear of it churning up. Socialising can become a serious chore if everyone is treading mud in the house or you have a destroyed lawn to repair!
Well equipped
As the British are now so in love with outdoor living, retailers have been quick to offer chairs, tables, outdoor games and barbecues at a wide range of price points. It means that with the right garden design, you don’t need a huge budget to splash out on furniture and equipment.
Get enough of what you need, and you can arrange it on your patio, decking and artificial grass, then store it away afterwards.
Heat and light
Making the most of your outdoor living opportunities year-round in the UK can mean ensuring that your garden design includes space and equipment for socialising in cooler and darker conditions.
There are some great chimineas and braziers available for safe, economic garden heat sources, and plenty of outdoor lighting options to match all tastes and preferences. Why not decorate your trees and walls with solar garden lights? It keeps equipment out of the way, and uses the daytime sun to make some night-time magic.
Those garden parties that go on to the wee small hours are always the best!
Main Image Source © HouseAndGarden – Furniture and Accessories John Lewis
