Brave The Elements: An Outdoor Retreat for All Seasons

There’s no denying that we have had a fantastic summer; with endless days of sunshine and long warm evenings, we have undoubtedly spent hours in our garden - but now the nights are drawing in are we really ready to retire to the shelter of our homes?

Break the mould and create a garden haven you can enjoy all year round – yep, even when the nights are creeping in and the leaves are falling from the trees! Here are some great ideas to help you transform your garden into a cosy retreat:

Picture credit Red lantern - Shutterstock

Light up the Night:
When the sun goes down you’ll need to get creative with your outdoor lighting and make your garden glow! Fairy lights are always a winner, drape them along your fences and wrap them around trees to set a magical mood. You’ll also need to think about free standing lights that can be placed around your garden so the whole space is lit up.

Floor lighting is another effective way of illuminating your garden; sink some lights into your paths and along your lawn to light your way. As they are going to be outside all year round you need to invest in some quality outdoor-rated lights from a specialist company like KES Lighting, that way you can be sure they’re not going to fizzle out at the first sign of rain!

Creative Canopies:
Choose a corner of your garden, preferably a decked or patio area - this will be your place to sit and wake up as you drink your morning coffee, or relax in the evenings with a good book and a glass of wine. Then you need to think about building a canopy or gazebo to add a bit of protection from the cooler breeze. You can get all sorts of cool looking shelters from simple fabric topped gazebos to more sophisticated wooden ones. If you’re pretty handy when it comes to DIY you can always fashion your own pergola for a really personal touch. Check out this Pinterest board for a bit of inspiration!

Savvy Seating:
Obviously you will need somewhere to sit in your little garden retreat. Wicker chairs are ideal for the garden as they wear really well in wet weather; sling some cushions on them and they’re really comfortable too.

Another fantastic idea for seating is giant beanbags, they come in lots of different sizes and most of them are wipe clean and 100% waterproof – so ideal for the garden. Big enough to lay on, you could unwind in the garden, looking up at the stars. They come in loads of big and bold colours too so you can really brighten up your little garden escape.

Hot Heating Ideas:
The last ingredient to your perfect outdoor retreat is warmth! There are loads of different ways to keep warm in your garden, it’s just a case of working out which option is best for you. Fire pits and chimeneas are a cheap way of keeping warm if you have easy access to plenty of wood; many of them double up as barbeques too.

If you’re looking for something low maintenance, patio heaters are excellent, and much safer if you have little ones running around. The Independent has got a handy little guide of the 10 best patio heaters to help you narrow down your choices.

Now you’ve built the foundations of your snug garden hideaway you can start adding all those wonderful personal touches, little trinkets and accessories, blankets, candles and whatever else you can think of to really make it your own.

**This was a Guest Post for KES Lighting**