Get your detox before the winter with a bit of design therapy. With so little of the summer left, it is high time you do two things: try and enjoy your backyard more if you did not and, plan for its improvement for next year.
Renovations are still surging as many Torontonians have opted to touch up their outdoor space. A great way to do it is to remember the appeal of all those wonderful resort trips to the south that entice you with romantic magic, garden-framed dining, and piano-playing lounging. Even the dancing under the stars can be transferred although the noise bylaws may pose a problem for that one!
Image courtesy of Dochia Media
And unlike interior design, you cannot go wrong since you’re in nature – so you’re halfway there!
Here are some of my favourite things that I always consider using, guaranteed to turn your yard into a total bliss: moody conversation areas, great visual backdrops (or at least one), and whimsical petite-decor. It is almost irrelevant what the rest around it is, as long as you set this up as a self-contained mini-environment.
When building an “oasis zone”, which is essentially what this is, it is crucial to have comfortable and posture-perfect seating. If the seating is too slouchy, you cannot look too glam. What you want is to be able to do both, glam and comfort. Couches from Restoration Hardware, Cabana Coast, and Pottery Barn are great and these are easily accessible places to start looking.
Mix your seating and get non-matching armchairs to go with it. Plenty of beautiful ones in the $200 to $400 budget and if you want to splurge, at $1,800 and up you will find some amazing ones that have exquisite craftsmanship and performance fabrics in superb patterns. Treat occasional tables like little jewels, don’t buy sets but keep the shape and proportion somewhat similar. That will create visual continuity. Cushions add so much fun and as always, don’t forget the lighting, it should not be an afterthought.
Glowing garden lights in trees layered with portable lamps and accent candles placed at different depths out from seating are perfect. Opt for low light on the tables around you, low light on the far ground and you can add some more powerful lights in mid-ground as long as they don’t shine straight in your eye.
This article first appeared in My 2 cents on design
how to curate a better lifestyle through design
part of RELAXATION \\ a DOCHIA FOCUS monthly lifestyle series
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