As the days begin to get brighter and longer, people will begin to think about how they can revamp their exterior space to get ready for the warmer months ahead.
From Mediterranean inspiration to rewilding outdoor spaces, the experts at Stone Superstore predict that garden design trends are set to evolve from minimalist spaces to wilder and naturally informal styles, where nature, sustainability and wellness is prioritised. Creative director Molly Woodward-Moor shares the top five trends that we’ll be seeing in outdoor spaces this year.
Alfresco Entertaining
With the cost of eating out continuing to rise, we’re increasingly looking to create our own spaces of ‘at-home luxury’ to find these moments of escapism or ways to entertain friends and family. Outdoor kitchens and built-in barbeque areas are becoming a popular consideration within people’s garden design checklist, along with firepits, pizza ovens, counter space, and even wine/beer fridges.
To create an inviting, and stylish outdoor cooking or dining area that you will want to spend time using, it’s important to factor in practicality. Overhead garden structures, such as pergolas and awnings, have started to re-trend over recent years, offering shelter from the temperamental British weather, while providing a sense of enclosure and much needed privacy.
When it comes to functionality, opting for a durable and easy-to-clean flooring material, such as porcelain paving tiles, is a must-have for exterior dining areas, ensuring food and drink spills are easy to clean without marking your external flooring. For those looking to take their design creativity to the next level, try incorporating patterned paving into your patio to zone the dining seating area from the rest of your garden area.
Rewilding
Ideal for low-maintenance gardeners, the rewilding trend is a sustainable gardening approach that encourages wildlife and pollinators to thrive, immersing our space with nature in a grounding and authentic way.
From growing flowers, incorporating shelter for wildlife to using natural stone materials, it’s about making smart design choices that benefits wildlife within your outdoor space.
This trend encourages scattering native wildflower seeds into your planting beds to benefit local wildlife, that in turn creates a vibrant and romantic ambience to your garden that is also very low maintenance. Additionally, reducing lawn mowing and introducing home composting works well here to enrich the soil with valuable nutrients in an easy way.
Urban Gardens
More people are seeking to transform their outdoor space into their own sanctuary where they can nurture plants, grow home produce, and relax.
The key to designing an urban terrace or balcony is to maximise the space you have available. Most people tend to overlook exterior walls however, creating a vertical garden will allow you to incorporate colour and nature into a small space.
You can utilise exterior walls with the use of hanging planters, wall-mounted shelving and even using patterned tiling to add colour and dimension to the space. Additionally, outdoor mirrors work particularly well for this trend, giving the illusion of a larger area whilst also brightening up your space.
Indoor/Outdoor Living
The positive health and wellness effects of nature are undeniable, and we’re continuing to blur the boundaries between our indoor and outdoor spaces to optimise these benefits. Look to create seamless transitions with large sliding doors, continuous floors of indoor outdoor tiles and flowing colour palettes to visually link these spaces.
The boundaries between our interior and exterior living spaces will become even more blurred as we continue to invite nature into our homes, yet also begin to apply the ‘rules’ of home design to our outdoor areas – seeing these areas as an ‘additional room’ of our properties.
From patterned rugs and trendy cushions to decorative lighting or lounge chairs, the separation between furniture being suitable for sole indoor or outdoor use is diminishing. These versatile pieces are a great way of letting your personality spill into your outdoor lounging spaces, that feels just as cool and cosy as your interior.
Mediterranean Escapism
Mediterranean-inspired design is a key influence for the hottest garden design trends of the moment. Think refined, sophisticated style with a mix of tactile features and soft, warm neutrals in your paving tiles or furniture selections.
While sandstone or limestone paving provides an unmatched sense of traditional charm, antique effect porcelain tiles offer a result of engineered perfection: recreating the subtle tumbled edges and antiqued surface of natural stone, combined with the practicality of modern porcelain.
For more of a contemporary take on these Mediterranean patio trends, break up large areas of expansive paving by interlaying gravel or grass between your slabs to create a smart, stepping-stone-style pathway that feels super chic.
