GARDEN PAINT IDEAS

Give your outdoor area a faceliftto make it as visually appealing as your interior, with these inspiring yet simple tricks

- SARAH WILSON

IDEAL HOME LOVES... OUTDOOR PAINT

1 REVIVE HARD LANDSCAPING SUCH AS WALLS, FENCES AND DECKING

These elements are the backbone of a garden scheme, so give them a fresh coat of paint in a vibrant shade to take your outdoor space up a level and inject new life into tired surfaces.

2 CREATE INTEREST IN SMALL WAYS

If you’d like to use a bold shade, but are nervous about using it on a large area like a fence, restrict it to smaller surfaces, such as furniture, planters and garden accessories. This way you can enjoy your chosen colour on a scale that suits you.

3 STICK TO A CO-ORDINATED THEME

Pick out an accent colour, such as a pretty pink, from your favourite flower in the garden, and use it as a starting point for the painting scheme. But avoid using too many paint colours as this can look chaotic and won’t create a restful space.

HOW TO... FIND THE RIGHT TYPE OF PAINT

Choosing the best paint for the look you want is an art

LIMEWASH One of the most beautiful finishes for external walls is limewash, which is made from lime and water, and comes in a range of pastel shades. It’s ideal for porous surfaces such as brick, stone, plaster or roughcast, and needs renewing about every five years.