Tips and tricks on interior design and upcycling furniture for a garden room by Steph Briggs

When looking at a new design project I run through a long list of questions with my clients. Garden rooms are versatile spaces, decide on what you want to use the room for, is it dining and entertaining? Relaxing and reading? Enjoying the garden views? A retreat from the family or a family room?

Make the most of it all year around – by the nature of a garden room they tend to have a lot of glazing. Where does the sun sit in the morning and evening? Is it warm enough to use in winter or will you need an additional heat source such as under floor heating or a log burner? Will it get very hot in summer? In which case you will need to consider ventilation and window coverings.

Blend the outdoors and indoors in your garden room by reflecting the style of your garden indoors. Create a fusion of your home and garden, for example if you have a cottage style garden reflect this with vintage furniture and soft white walls. If you have a more traditional garden with box and borders then go for a Country style with taupe or stone as one of the main colour palette. If you have a conservatory or orangery then opt for botanical elegance with palms, wicker and strong green. If you’re replacing flooring, running the same flooring inside and outside is a trade trick for giving the illusion of a greater space and continuity of theme.

If you’re looking to reuse existing furniture from other rooms a great way to pull the look together is by painting it. Upcycling is great for the environment and really economical. It’s a fabulous way to get a completely unique look, you can give it a go yourself or there are professional painters that can transform your furniture for you. In a garden room the light is usually far brighter than the rest of the house so you can be bolder with colour choices. Avoid using pure bright whites as these will be harsh and bounce light around too much, instead opt for softer whites with a hint of grey or pink in their base.

Texture is key in a garden room, without it they can feel quite clinical. Layer up sofas with different fabric cushions such as a linen, a textured cotton and a twill. Throws and blankets add softness and are an easy way to add a pop of colour. Large rugs work well on hard floors and you can create different zones within the one room for example if you have a dining area at one end place the table and chairs on a rug to give it definition.  Shutters work wonderfully to give an air of old world elegance in a garden room as well as providing privacy at night. Instead of lots of small houseplants consider investing in one statement plant that will instantly add height, texture, scale and colour.

About Steph

Steph Briggs is Co-Founder of the Award-Winning independent gifts and interior retailer, La Di Da Interiors (https://www.ladida-andover.com)