FIVE FOUNDATIONS OF OUTDOOR ROOMS

Make the most of your garden during the summer months by creating a relaxing space to gather outside

- HOLLY REANEY

1 LIVING WALLS 

Planting is intrinsic to the garden, however it can do much more than make a space feel pretty. Surrounding your seating area with climbers will achieve a cocooning effect, while evergreen shrubs will help to delineate it and make your seating spot feel more cosy. If you have an area surrounded by trees, flowerbeds or shrubs, it makes your outdoor living room feel more intimate and inviting, especially in the evening with the addition of candles and lanterns,' says Sue Jones, co-founder at Oka. Try to pick somewhere relatively close to the house so you won't have to carry trays of drinks or platters of food across the garden.'

2 GET SETTLED