So here it is, the finished and totally transformed back yard. My challenge was to turn the dark, dingy area into an exciting, vibrant entertaining space during the course of a sunny Spring afternoon. Did we fix it – course we did!
The five steps taken – Inspiration, Colour, Personalisation, Practicality and Dressing Up – meant nothing was forgotten and a clear design brief was followed throughout the process, from design through shopping to implementation in the space.
As you know Team Moregeous don’t do half measures so I started off by blitzing the yard with a brush, a jet wash and some brilliant white paint, creating a clean and bright canvas to work with. It’s amazing how quickly a bit of elbow grease and enthusiasm can get a project started.
Taking inspiration from one of the beautiful bedrooms in the apartment, I wanted to keep the yard feeling warm by not painting all the walls white but picking out some individual bricks for visual interest. Purple and lavender gave rich colour and depth, with nickel and silver adding a contemporary vibe.
This design scheme scheme was a doddle touring to life down at my local HomeSense store, which is like an Aladdin’s Cave of treasure for shoppers like me eager for affordable pieces, unusual finds and stylish touches. I love the fact that what you see one day might not be there the next, it’s a sure fire way to crystallise your thinking and sharpen decisions. They say when it’s gone, it’s gone, I say you snooze, you lose.
Everything worked perfectly together: the white ironwork table & chairs against the dark slate flooring, with cream and lavender plates, a tall drinks jug and scented candle; the pale green fretwork bird shelf which I personalised with a light dusting of nickel spray; the tall galvanised plant holder; the white windowed pillar candle holder; all created the fresh party look I wanted and made me a very happy designer.
The only thing I didn’t do from the initial plan was make a copper ladder as I’d opted for galvanised silver highlights instead, but we all know it’s a woman’s designer’s prerogative to change her mind.
Top Tips From The Day
- Clear & clean the space you’re working on properly to allow you to really *see* it
- Decide on a colour palette and stick to it for a cohesive and thought out look, no matter how tempted you are by random finds
- Try personalising or customising individual items to make them unique to you
- Hang shelves and brackets in small gardens to add height, depth and interest
- Use lighting and candles to draw the eye to unexpected places.
I hope you’ve taken lots of inspiration from our Yard Yawn to Party Patio makeover, tweet my @Moregeous if you have any questions or need any design advice. Or, if you’re in the Manchester area next week, do pop into the HomeSense store at the Trafford Centre Barton Square on Wednesday April 30th from 1pm – 3pm as we’ll be holding a fun Interior Design and Home advice clinic x
Fantastic makeover. I love the pastel, creamy colours. They do very well against the dark grey floor and the reddish brick wall.
One slight comment I have is about the lights. It’s not that they don’t do well, but I feel you could have pushed it a bit further.
The wireframe chairs, table and wall-rack look almost recycled, repurposed from something else and with that in mind, you could have installed a similar string of lights, but using decorated jars as a container for the bulb,enhanced with string, paper and beads. Overall, you did a fantastic job, and can safely ignore my comment – it was only my personal preference.
Thanks for sharing your workflow process.
Oh I wish we’d had the time and budget to do more personalised touches with the lighting but our focus was a huge clean up and dressing in just an afternoon. I love those ideas though Matthew and thanks for taking the time to comment 🙂