Take inspiration from the great outdoors. From

INTERIORS
WORDS ANGELINA VILLA-CLARKE
H E L L O
Take inspiration from the great outdoors. From contemporary garden furniture to modern
florals, it’s easy to freshen up your home and garden for laid-back summer living
There’s nothing like long days, balmy
weather and bright sunshine to make you
want to revamp. Whether you want to
make the most of your garden or brighten
up a key space, summer decorating is
about a breezy design ethos. Flowers have
long been popular, but forget ditsy prints,
the new take on ‘grandma chic’ is all about
impact with big blooms and bold colours.
Nicola Sanders, a Cambridge-based
interior designer at Parsons Gray, sees
incorporating florals as the first step in
a summer revamp: “I like to accessorise
with painterly florals, such as Bluebellgray
cushions or Jessica Zoob’s pixelated floral
prints, designed for Romo Black Edition
fabrics. Both will give a modern take on a
classic theme and pretty up a plain space.”
Renowned for its luxury, modern fabrics,
Harlequin’s Amazilia range has large-scale
tropical flowers, hummingbirds, stylised
foliage and botanical references at its
heart. Scatter a few cushions for a burst of
colour. The brand’s Fauvisimo collection is
based on the vibrant, bold colours of the
Fauvist art movement. Overblown peonies,
foxgloves, tulips and sprays of blossom are
contrasted with abstract stripes and ombré
colours. Curtains and chairs in these fabrics
will give a summery feel all year.
Harlequin’s design director, Claire Vallis,
comments: “In today’s interiors we are
looking for exotic locations and bolder
colour combinations, taking inspiration
from, for example, the flora and fauna of
rainforests and patterns far-flung locations.”
Also taking its lead from nature’s best,
with cushions featuring birds, butterflies
and bees, Rume’s bright and interesting
Let the summer in OPPOSITE The Westcliff Collection of hardwood shutters, £250 per sqm, Clement Browne. ABOVE CLOCKWISE FROM TOP Hartham Extending Table, from £499, and
matching chairs, from £250 per pair, both Harveys. Fauvisimo and Sgraffito cushions, prices vary, Harlequin. Find a variety of garden homewares, such as these outdoor floral cushions,
£65, from Botanical Cushions, at Grow London
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INTERIORS
accessories in bold colourways also contrast
beautifully with a floral design scheme.
Another way of reflecting nature is
to mirror a view with a similarly themed
wallpaper. So, for instance, if a room looks
out onto a lawn, use a bright green, or if you
can see flower beds, choose a wallpaper
that picks up on similar blooms or colours.
Galerie Wallcoverings has a range of
English-inspired floral wallpapers, and
Scandi Living’s muted flower prints work
well with most schemes. Artist Gillian
Arnold’s zingy Floral Dance and Autumn
Flurry wallpapers are perfect for statement
walls and she says: “Florals don’t need to
try to have a brightening effect, or depict
summer, they inherently have these qualities
about them. They bring an instant freshness
and spark of life to any surroundings,
symbolising both growth and harmony.”
Floral upholstery is making a return
with statement chairs and sofas in
bold fabrics looking modern again.
Sofa Workshop’s Botanique Chair
combines a contemporary shape with
a garden-inspired print. Contrast with
a pared-back room for total impact.
Suzanne O’Flynn, creative director
at John Sankey, comments: “The
exuberance of the Loseley Park Lime
fabric on our Crinoline Chair injects a
joyful burst of colour into the house.
The many colours within this floral are
easy to use as a creative palette for the rest
of the room.”
Harvey’s coastal-themed furniture is
perfect for reminiscing of summer days by
the sea. Lisa Broad, head of buying, gives
her advice: “Living rooms shouldn’t shy
away from being bold. Fabric is a great way
to experiment with iconic patterns and can
be incorporated through a graphic print
armchair and matching scatter cushions.”
Using flowers can lead to a maximalist
approach, so tone the overall look down by
carefully choosing the colour palette. Helen
Shaw, marketing director of Benjamin Moore
UK, comments: “Consider how colours
complement the hues around. For an
endless summer feeling, opt for cream walls
with accents of blue or green to create an
extension of the sky or garden, delivering a
restful and calm feeling. If you want to make
more of a statement use bold contrasting
colours as accents. An accent colour can
look fantastic next to a crisp neutral wall.”
Modern Rugs’ Hortus and Tulipani rugs
bring the outside in with bold designs.
Ben Dale, founder of Modern Rugs, says:
“Combine bright florals and shades of green.
If you are choosing vibrant floral accessories,
then combine them with muted shades for
furniture to prevent the room from looking
too busy. Go for a colonial theme using
wood furniture and bold green botanicals.”
Fill your home with fresh flowers for an
instant freshener. The Cambridge Flower
School offers courses for those wanting to
perfect the art. Sarah Clerk from the school
comments: “We all love flowers in our home,
whether it’s a simple jug of garden flowers
or an impressive, formal arrangement. If
you mix flowers with seasonal foliage and
use complementary containers you will be
amazed at what you can create.”
Petal power CLOCKWISE FROM TOP Jardin Chic Collection Wallpaper, £24.95 per roll, Galerie Wallcoverings. Kitchen painted in Banana Yellow paint, Benjamin Moore. Izzy Chair in
Blendworth Botanique, from £1,299, and Miss Behaving Sofa in Romo Pleasure Garden Velvet, from £1,279, both Sofa Workshop
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INTERIORS
The main focus for homeowners during
the summer months is how to keep a room
light and airy. Windows, and how they are
dressed, are key. If you are looking for a
major overhaul, then Cambridge-based
Economy Windows can advise on energyefficient doors and windows. Otherwise,
simply updating the finishing touches can
transform how your room performs when
temperatures start to rise.
Shannon Rose-Cox, product
development manager at Clement Browne,
gives an insight into what is on trend:
“We expect a more streamlined look will
remain popular in 2016. The demand for a
sleek, seamless finish on window coverings
appears to be increasing and features
such as hidden hinges and hidden tilt
mechanisms will be key. While white or
neutral shutters will always be popular, more
and more customers are getting creative
with their shutter colours.”
Giving privacy and an innovative design
ethos, The Window Film Company offers
options from solar films to frosted window
films in a range of designs. The films are
ideal for giving privacy.
INTERIORS
For a unique investment, QMotion UK’s
automated blinds are an innovative way
to control light and shade. Ian Claxton,
director at QMotion UK, comments: “The
blinds operate from one central point by
finger touch via a smartphone, tablet app
or remote control. The wireless concept
means that there are no cords, power or
control wires required at all and the user
can install a fully motorised and intelligently
controlled shading system without the need
for chasing out walls or using an electrician.
There’s a collection of over 400 fabrics and
colours, or, for a personal touch, you can
supply your own imagery for QMotion UK to
manufacture the blind with.”
To truly let the outdoors in, bifold
doors are one of the most popular home
improvements. Kloeber is a local, leading
name in the glazing industry and Matt
Higgs, co-owner and sales director, reveals
more: “Creating more light and space in your
home has become more and more essential
over the last decade and the improvements
in larger glazing systems has made this
more achievable. Bifold doors are extremely
popular as they open up your house to the
garden and offer flexible configurations.
We’re seeing a trend towards sliding doors
and we now have lift and slide doors which
move effortlessly even when they are widths
from 1.5m to 13m wide.”
Nicola Sanders of Parsons Gray agrees:
“If you are planning a rear extension,
consider incorporating bifold doors in your
designs – the larger, the better. In winter,
they provide the perfect picture frame to the
garden slumbering outside, and on summer
weekends, throw them wide open from
breakfast time for a seamless holiday feel!”
Windows on the world CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT Calista Citrine blinds, from £567.95, QMotion. Frostbrite window film, from £30, The Window Film Company. The Barling Collection
of aluminium full-height shutters, from £410 per sqm, Clement Browne. Aluminium bifold doors, prices vary, Kloeber
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The UK garden scene has boomed of late
with homeowners borrowing style ideas
from the Mediterranean, chic boutique
hotels and coastal resorts. They have
morphed into second living rooms (when
the weather is kind, that is), with a wide
range of stylish furniture and accessories to
transform even the dreariest corners.
Sian Lowri Allpress, director at Jo
Alexander, Cambridge’s garden emporium,
comments: “Invest in something like
our teak day bed. It is furnished with a
base cushion and scatter cushions and is
perfect for unwinding on a hot day. Our
concrete and bamboo ranges introduce two
interesting materials for garden furniture at
the moment. Combine these with woven
bamboo lanterns for stylish, summer nights.”
From Maze Living’s covetable rattan
furniture to John Lewis’s modern dining
sets, garden furniture has raised its game.
Nicola Gidlow, John Lewis’s buyer for
outdoor living, explains why: “The blurring
of the boundaries between indoor and
outdoor spaces means that entertaining is
no longer confined to one area of the home.
Investing in weatherproof furniture allows
for key pieces to be transferred outside.
Furnishing rooms that back on to your
garden with accessories and cushions in
bright, bold colours and prints will warm up
the inside of your home. To link the spaces
choose similar patterns and hues for your
outdoor accessories, this will help add a
sense of unity to your entertaining space.”
Extex’s award-winning outdoor fabric
collections are water repellent and stain
resistant. This year’s collection of fabrics
includes bright oranges, acidic greens
and blues and rich, rustic dark tones. For
the wow factor, add in statement pieces
of sculpture, like the mirrored Flame
pieces at In-Spaces. External lighting also
adds atmosphere when the sun goes in.
Industrial-style wall lights and lanterns at
J Adams and Co are among our favourites.
Offering garden sets and swing seats,
Sweetpea & Willow’s whimsical take on
summer is appealing to all. Jacqui Dunton,
co-founder of the shop, says: “For those
with a large garden, you should consider
zoning. Create different spaces with
different styles of furniture. You can create a
dining area with a beautiful table and chairs
set for entertaining or a casual area with
deck chairs, throws and cushions to unwind.
“In smaller gardens consider stackable,
shape-shifting furniture that can be
reconfigured depending on what the
space is being used for,” she continues.
“Our Higold Shenzou lounge seats can be
stacked together to create cosy cocoons.”
Scatter some of the Hogla Floor Seats,
from design store Oggetto, around the Ignis
Fire Bowl, from Scandi Living. Add a few of
the Shepherd’s Crook and Lantern sets, from
Pastel Lane, and drape pretty bunting, from
Susie Watson Designs, in trees. “There’s
nothing like dining outside on a summer
evening,” says Susie Watson. “Add some
colour with bunting and a touch of elegance
with candlelight in pretty glass domes.”
OKA Living’s stone garden furniture
gives a grandeur to gardens and is just the
thing for dinner parties. “Dining al fresco is
one of summer’s greatest pleasures,” says
Julie Paul, head of interior design at OKA,
“so insist on real plates, glasses and cutlery.
The outdoor table is the perfect place to
experiment with colour – rich mustard and
vibrant amaranth are on trend.”
In and out CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT Petra Side Table, £195, Oka. Linens, bunting and accessories, from £26, Susie Watson. Bench, from £100, Jo Alexander
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INTERIORS
Sometimes a lick of paint is just enough
to uplift an otherwise tired garden. Head
of creative at Farrow & Ball, Charlotte
Cosby gives her insight: “Create an
‘outside room’ by linking the interior
and exterior of your home with colour.
Painting garden furniture using a hue that
is also featured in your interior is so on
trend. Try painting furniture in statement
colours, like Charlotte’s Locks, for a
dramatic look, or create a work of art in
the garden by painting plant pots in Pelt,
Vardo and Studio Green to make them an
unusual decorative feature.”
For those with large gardens, a
garden room – often a bespoke wooden
or brick-built structure – is the perfect
way to create more space outside of the
home. Offering sleek cedar ‘pods’ and
nostalgic shepherd’s huts, ideal for games
rooms, offices or a serene retreat, Garden
Hideouts are specialists in versatile
outdoor living spaces.
Cambridge Timber Buildings also
offer garden rooms, which can be
made bespoke to your needs. Stacia
Greenaway, director, reveals: “We have
found that people are increasingly
looking to create living spaces which
better reflect their individual lifestyles. So
when faced with the expensive options
of extending or moving house, investing
in an attractive garden room offers a
simpler and more cost-effective way
to personalise and extend their living
spaces. At this time
of year, in
particular, when
we are looking to
spend more time
outside, customers
are seeking out our
bespoke service
to maximise the
unused corners of
their gardens.”
For a quirky take
on outside rooms,
Raj Tents may not
be as permanent
but win in the style stakes. The Indian
version of a traditional marquee, the tents
are made from textiles that use traditional
Rajasthani skills, such as hand block
printing and embroidery. The brand,
and many other innovative companies,
will be exhibiting at next month’s Grow
London, the contemporary garden fair, on
at Hampstead Heath (24-26 June, www.
growlondon.com).
Cosy corners CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT Bird feeder painted in Green Blue Exterior Eggshell from £24, and metal chairs painted in Chappell Green and Churlish Green Full Gloss, from
£22, both Farrow & Ball. Wood garden room, POA, Cambridge Timber Buildings. Find these Bee Palaces, £49.99, at next month’s Grow London
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