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9 ways to create the perfect outdoor space

November 24, 2015 Leave a Comment

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With summer just around the corner, itโ€™s time to get your outdoor space prepped for entertaining, relaxing and family fun.ย However, with so many options on the market, from stylish decking and trendy outdoor furniture to lighting, plants and cushionsย it can be difficult to know what to focus on to get the best results for your budget.ย Australiaโ€™s leading woodcare brand, Cabotโ€™s, has partnered with local design movers and shakers to provide nine top tips on how to transform your outdoor space.

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Award-winning landscape designer, Daniel Tyrrell’s top tips:

1. Create a destination. Aim to create a space that invites people outdoors. You can use seating with outdoor cushions that introduce colour. Or arrange a collection of pots with a mix of your favourite plants, such as herbs, succulents and bulbs, which encourage your interaction. The pots could be linked to other features, for example, by painting a couple to echo an existing colour in the garden.

2. Lighten up. Garden lighting can make a huge difference to the way a garden feels after the sun goes down and will directly affect how you use your outdoor space.ย Bright light is good for everyday functions like getting that forgotten washing from the line, but it often destroys the mood and creates washed out foregrounds and dark gardens. But not enough lighting is just as bad. Choose good quality well-planned garden lighting to extend the life of your garden and provide another room for entertaining.

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3. Know when to be brave. Show restraint in all things colour, features and furniture.ย What this means is beย brave with your colour palette butย commit to a few over many. Features are only that if they are rare, so again be bold and commit to one or two.

Sydney-based interior designer, Karenza Jewell’s top tips:

1. Zone your space. Have areas for larger entertaining, quieter winter sun spots for reading, and shady areas for hot summer days. Use different materials to zone these areas. Decking is also the perfect way to zone spaces, especially with the introduction of stain colour and even floor direction and elevation.

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2. Play with textures and colours.ย Outdoor spaces are meant for texture, from real stone to rendered paint effects. And you can focus on any area with the simple use of colour or texture. Outdoor fabrics are better than ever, with strong colours and patterns as well as natural soft textures. You donโ€™t need to install colourful plants, especially if you have gone for an easy maintenance garden. Just drop in some colourful fabric finishes on your outdoor seating. On a budget? Useย bright sun umbrellas, outdoor rugs and lanterns.ย Look to colour for timber surfaces too, especially your deck, pergolas and screens. No longer does wood decking have to be a typical woodย colour! Play with the stone finishes and timber colours now available. You can easily complement or contrast the architectural colours of your home or natural colours in your landscape.

3. Go sculptural with furniture.ย We are seeing outdoor furniture that is far more exciting than internal โ€“ from daybeds that are like islands to sculpted wire chairs to pebble knitted loungers. Clever uses of materials mean unusual materials are seen outdoors, not just in! You can add a superb sculptural piece of furniture and your garden becomes a gallery.

Renovator and blogger, Michelle Johnston’s top tips:ย 

1. Embrace the power of paint. You should never underestimate the power of paint, youย can use paint to revamp your homeโ€™s exterior brickwork or render, or paint the front door with a statement colour. Renters can get creative by painting old furniture or pots for plants to inject some colour in the garden. The bolder, the brighter, the better!pqGcCE-2eEH8-lC6LuNs9d7ABdSrZViDvVhm-4P3BwA,-yhwHp4aUQTohqcNFOeV6wSRGA54hx-FzocZJu6BIts,amwrZqJ5JToqNL0xfaw-SX__VLNYz46qJuHYCORLw582. Add greenery. Plants in feature pots or a vertical garden will add life to the space.ย If youโ€™re on a budget, ask friends and family for cuttings and grow your own plants. Succulents are one of the easiest plants to propagate, they thrive in pots and come in many varieties, colours and sizes โ€“ just avoid the prickly ones as they can be difficult to work with!

3. Create layer upon layer.ย Bringing the indoors out is about making your outdoor space feel inviting and comfortable.ย One easy way to achieve this is to add texture in layers. Soft furnishings, like outdoor rugs and cushions, are a great way to make your space comfortable.

For more top tips visitย Cabotโ€™s.

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Charlie doesn't recommend running head first into Charlie doesn't recommend running head first into tiled steps ๐Ÿค•

Oh what a night. Thankfully Hornsby Hospital were as amazing as always and we avoided stitches. All taped and glued  back together and now to keep him calm for the next few days (๐Ÿคช) and watch for signs of concussion. 

Bravest little patient ever. Yes I've had a ๐Ÿท

Funny how we go into super organised mama mode in times like these. Grabbed dinosaurs, textas and scrapbook on the way out in case we had a long wait!
Australian made bathroomware is seriously impressi Australian made bathroomware is seriously impressive!

The new @studio.xox ONLY sells Australian brands. Like @nood_co coloured basins, lead-free eco brass from @faucetstrommen and @lindseywherrett's  ceramic basins made by hand in Tassie.

And as for their Sydney showroom (they also sell online): WOW.

See and read more on the blog now via link in bio.

#interiorsaddict #theinteriorsaddict #jenbishop
#creatingbeautifulspaces #homestylingdesign
#designbywomen #homestylingtips #sydneycreatives
#homestylingsydney #interiorstyling #interiordesignsydney
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#interiorinspiration #myhomedesign
I'm THRILLED to be an ambassador for the brand new I'm THRILLED to be an ambassador for the brand new @madeinaustshow in Sydney this August.

๐Ÿฆ˜๐ŸจForget every tacky association you ever had about touristy Australian made and prepare to see a showcase of the best of home, lifestyle, fashion and beauty made right here. If the pandemic has made you appreciate buying local even more, this is for you.

It's the first business to business trade event connecting retailers with Australian made products to champion our local makers๐Ÿ™

Apply to exhibit or find out more at their website, via their bio, now!

Are YOU buying more Australian made post covid?

#madeinaustralia #australianmade #aussiemade #aussiedesign
Do I recommend a timber vanity top? A big fat NOP Do I recommend a timber vanity top?

A big fat NOPE! ๐Ÿ’ง 

Which is why we have recently covered ours with a Caesarstone top (thanks to @justinplace_sydney for the advice and supply) and the sweet RELIEF of not having to worry about this high traffic area anymore, I'm telling you!๐Ÿค—

Doesn't matter what they tell you or how many times it's sealed, I'm not sure it's a great idea in a room which is so, well, wet!

I love having the warmth of timber in the bathroom and it's a beautiful piece, but timber on the top? Never again.

Ours probably lasted a year (if that) before it started to go downhill (and we want a good decade out of a bathroom, right?!). 2.5 years on, everything else in this bathroom looks virtually brand new and the water marked vanity top was really letting the side down and making me sad!

But I'm so pleased with this solution, I have to say! Took the plumber less than an hour to remove the sink, install the top and connect the sink back up. We didn't need to move the tap and it isn't too close to the basin.

The kids are allowed to brush their teeth and wash their hands (liquid soap ๐Ÿฅด) in here again and I can leave my hair straightener on there with gay abandon ๐Ÿ˜†

The reflective surface (which I can clean with whatever I like!๐Ÿ’ช๐Ÿป) brightens the room up too!

Next week I'll tell you what I really think of my brass tile trim too ๐Ÿ˜‰

#interiorsaddictbathroomreno2 #interiorsaddictfamilyhomereno #timbervanity
Is there a more decadent and delicious soup than F Is there a more decadent and delicious soup than French onion?

I think not!

Grab the recipe on the blog this morning via link in bio.
Get to know me! I haven't done one of these in YE Get to know me!

I haven't done one of these in YEARS so there's possibly thousands of you who don't know my back story. Here's a few things you may not know about me!

โœ”๏ธ I'm English ๐Ÿด๓ ง๓ ข๓ ฅ๓ ฎ๓ ง๓ ฟ and I moved here (just for one year) back in 2008๐Ÿ˜† 

โœ”๏ธ I can't end the day without a bath, even if I get home really late or on a really hot day. It's a mental health thing and my happy place. ๐Ÿ› 

โœ”๏ธ Before becoming a blogger and running my own small business, I was a journalist from the age of 18. My favourite news gathering times were as a newspaper crime reporter (bit different to interiors!) ๐Ÿ““ 

โœ”๏ธ I once worked at New Scotland Yard in London ๐Ÿš” 

โœ”๏ธI had an interview at Oxford (didn't get in!) but chose not to go to uni at all after being offered a job on the local paper #universityoflife ๐Ÿ˜

โœ”๏ธ My mum died when I was 3, I have an excellent dad and one sister (younger) in the UK โค๏ธ ๐Ÿ‡ฌ๐Ÿ‡ง 

โœ”๏ธ At school, my favourite subject was French ๐Ÿ‡ซ๐Ÿ‡ท and I was head girl ๐Ÿค“๐Ÿค“

โœ”๏ธ I'm addicted to โ˜•๏ธ , long hot baths and๐Ÿ’„ (been wearing it since I was about 14!)

โœ”๏ธ I'm not a phonecall person and will never ever pick up an unknown number. Ever. They can leave a message ๐Ÿ˜

โœ”๏ธ My favourite cuisine is Japanese ๐Ÿฃ ๐Ÿœ and Damian and I honeymooned in Tokyo and Venice 

โœ”๏ธ I have zero design qualifications. I just started blogging about my passion, which is trying to persuade everyone to #heartyourhome That was 11 years ago...

โœ”๏ธ My favourite tipple is a good GnT or๐Ÿท 

โœ”๏ธ Cheesy as it sounds, ๐Ÿ’โ€โ™€๏ธbeing a mum is my absolute biggest joy in life ๐Ÿง’๐Ÿ‘ฆ

โœ”๏ธ I will never give up my old school paper diary! Has to be A5 and week to view ๐Ÿ“– 

โœ”๏ธ My official surname isn't Bishop. I kept my maiden name for work after I got married but changed it for everything else. Often confuse myself!

โœ”๏ธ I didn't get my Ps until I was 37 and I'm still a terrible parker ๐Ÿ˜ฏ ๐Ÿ…ฟ๏ธ

Hope you feel like you know me a bit better ๐Ÿ˜˜

๐Ÿ“ธ @vanlowvanlow
Blue, green or lilac? ๐ŸŽจ @nood_co coloured con Blue, green or lilac? ๐ŸŽจ 

@nood_co coloured concrete basins is a great Aussie business success story. Although co founder Matt Di Costa first found fame as one half of Matt and Kim on The Block, he hasn't relied on this to build his brand.

โ€œWe are very honoured to have been a part ofย The Block, and all they have done for us. I am, however, a believer in letting the product take centre stage,โ€ he says.

Read our interview with Matt via link in bio now.

๐Ÿ™Share your favourite colour basin in the comments!

#colouredconcrete #noodco #colouredbasin #blockheads #the block #bathroomtrends2022

Pic 1 by @naibudesign_ and 2 by @twostyleinteriors
I'd love to see more colour in Aussie interiors! I'd love to see more colour in Aussie  interiors! ๐ŸŽจ 

At the end of the day though, it's a matter of personal taste. I love pops of colour but it's not for everyone. 

We couldn't resist featuring this Canadian house tour today. The amazing Kelly Green  hutch (swipe) was an upcycled $200 find ๐Ÿค—

Head over to the blog via link in bio to see the rest including one of the best playrooms we've seen in ages!

Project by @in.house.design
๐Ÿ“ธ @philcrozier
Create an unexpected city oasis with an emphasis o Create an unexpected city oasis with an emphasis on light and nature.

That was the brief for the conversion of a corner shop and a warehouse bakery into a luxury family home in Sydney's Newtown. And how about the library?!

Take the tour of this very special @annacarindesign project on the blog now, via link in bio.

Pic: @justinalexanderphoto
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About Olivia Shead

When she's not writing for Interiors Addict, Olivia is now a TV and radio news producer. She's a journalism graduate of UTS Sydney.

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  1. AvatarDaniel Tyrrell says

    July 27, 2016 at 2:22 pm

    Great tips, would love to get a link to the ones i made.

    Reply

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