Its that time of year again that I love, long hazy evenings spent in the sunshine and early mornings peaking through the blinds that make you want to get up out of bed with a smile. I don’t know about you but we spend all our days and nights in the golden sunshine and making the most of your outside space no matter how big or small is key to enjoying every second.

So for me there are some basics, non negotiables to make my summer living come to life. Firstly all my meals are now officially alfresco so you need somewhere you can dine, the logisitics of this really depend on how much space you have to play with. If you’re struggling on space, built in seating is the perfect solution to creating an outdoor eating area. Here are some brilliant examples I have found via Pinterest, all small but workable spaces.

The beauty of using built in fixed seating is this can also be used to create storage, and added bonus if you are already tight on space.

Next up is creating some shade, now I appreciate this is coming from living in the Spanish sunshine and maybe is not as vital in the UK however its still great for creating a little ambience and designing an area specifically for dining. There are some really great options for creating shade, from purpose grown planting, architectural timber frameworks with tensile canopies or fret cut panels. This a perfect opportunity to show your creativity and if you are in the UK and looking for something a little more waterproof maybe using glazing to also create a dry external space.

Now if you have a big enough space to play with an outdoor kitchen / bar area can really add that wow factor, it doesn’t need to be over complicated, can be as simple as a sideboard and sink area or as extravagant as an outdoor pizza oven, yes you heard me right! ….this is currently on my wish list!

Outside lighting is key to making your space usable into those lazy sunset filled evenings, we’re thinking along the lines of creating a soft atmospheric light not a harsh flood that illuminates your entire space (plus the neighbours). There’s some great options on external fittings now and a real chance to play with scale. Here’s a few of my favourites -

Finally somewhere to recline, relax, snooze & just take a break, this can be something fixed or loose depending on how much space you have. Personally I love a bit of both, something with a little imagination rather than just a couple of loungers.

Only thing left to add is a cold drink and some chilled out music to relax too. Hope you’ve enjoyed the latest blog, all images have been taken from Pinterest.