GARDEN MAKEOVER - BEFORE & AFTER.

Interiors

26 May

Written By

GARDEN MAKEOVER - BEFORE & AFTER.

Moving into my first home I absolutely knew a big, beautiful garden wouldn't be for me. I am by no means a lady green fingers (much to my mum's disappointment). I've always been more of an indoor plant fanatic and as little maintenance as possible when it comes to the garden is what gets my juices flowing.When I found my little cottage the garden was much to be desired - but I could see the potential. It just needed a little TLC to maximise the space and make it a more inviting place to be.Here's what it looked like before:[gallery columns="2" link="file" size="large" ids="7164,7163"][gallery columns="2" link="file" size="large" ids="7167,7165"]

THE GUYS FOR THE JOB.

If like me you know absolutely no tradesmen, this might be a helpful tip for you. I took to Facebook and searched for paving / landscape gardeners. The guys I found had amazing reviews and their page was full with before and after photos that demonstrated what a good job they do.I messaged them and it went from there. They came round to measure up and provided some basic hand sketch drawings based on the information I provided them. The designs focus was to open up the space and make it feel brighter whilst still remaining sympathetic to its cottage surroundings.Work began and they were in and out within two days.Here's a few snaps of the process...[gallery columns="2" link="file" size="large" ids="7168,7160"]

THE END RESULT.

And here it is, in all its glory... I couldn't be more thrilled with how it looks. The paved pathway with lighter gravel gives a sense of way more space than before and the colour scheme compliments the house so well. Initially I was considering astroturf but I think going for full paving and stones actually makes the garden feel much bigger. Plus, all the small cottages in the village are complete with a courtyard garden, so it felt right to keep it traditional with a slight modern twist.

THE DECOR.

As there isn't any grass, I wanted to add some greenery in the form of evergreen plants. The garden doesn't get a huge amount of sun, either, so I visited an independent garden centre where the lady helped me pick out plants that would survive well in the shade and stay green all year round. I also bought a few smaller potted plants that will last for the summer, that I can easily replace come winter.By chance, I spotted this ladder at a vintage shop in Market Harborough. Having looked online for years and not really finding anything suitable for less than £200+ I was jumping for joy when I nabbed this for thirty British pounds.When I first moved in to the house, there was already a washing line string hanging across the garden. So I decided to weave these solar lights across to give a little light to the area come evening time.

THE NECESSITIES.

Having a smaller house, this outhouse is an absolute god send. It's like having my own little laundry room outside, which is so practical and lovely.The washing machine was an absolute steal from AO.com and it fits perfectly behind this bloody brilliant beaded curtain from White Hart Studio. It was the most efficient machine on their website and it's touch screen - basically doesn't get much better than that, am I right? Not having oodles of room for furniture, I thought opting for a bench would be my best bet. I think this one from Tikamoon is just stunning. It's incredible quality, but also really deep which means you can properly sit back and relax!I was kindly sent the sweetest gift from Green & Blue - a beautiful beepot house. 'The Beepot is a stylish concrete planter combining a safe nesting site for solitary bees with a space for perfect pollinator planting, meaning a food source for the bees is never far away. You could call it a Bee&B!' How lovely is that!! So that's sitting proud on my ladder waiting for the bees to come make a visit.