insideKENT Magazine Issue 100 - August 2020 | Page 56

HOME+GARDEN
GARDEN ROOM DESIGN CONT.
DESIGNING THE INTERIOR
With all the boring technical things out of
the way, the best part of designing a garden
room begins; styling the interior of your space.
There is no one to please but yourself, no
boring regulations, or rules you have to follow
just pure, personal creativity, so be sure to go
a little wild. Steph Briggs, a celebrated
interior designer, and co-founder of
www.ladida-andover.com, has imparted some of
her wisdom on how to design the best interior
for our garden room. “Garden rooms are
versatile spaces, so decide on what you want
to use the room for, is it dining and
entertaining? Relaxing and reading? Enjoying
the garden views? A retreat from the family
or a family room? Where does the sun sit in
the morning and evening? Is it warm enough
to use in winter or will you need an additional
heat source such as under floor heating or a
log burner? Will it get very hot in summer?
In which case you will need to consider
ventilation and window coverings.”
After asking yourself these questions, Steph
also recommends “Blending the outdoors and
indoors by creating a fusion of your home
and garden, for example if you have a cottage
style garden reflect this in your garden room
with vintage furniture and soft white walls. If
you have a more traditional garden with box
and borders then go for a country style, with
taupe or stone as one of the main colour
palette. If you have a conservatory or
orangery, then opt for botanical elegance with
palms, wicker and strong green. If you’re
replacing flooring, running the same flooring
inside and outside is a trade trick for giving
the illusion of a greater space and continuity
of theme.” In terms of decoration Steph
recommends the environmentally friendly
past-time of up-cycling. “It’s a fabulous way
to get a completely unique look, you can give
it a go yourself or there are professional
painters that can transform your furniture for
you. In a garden room the light is usually far
brighter than the rest of the house so you can
be bolder with colour choices. Avoid using
pure bright whites as these will be harsh and
bounce light around too much, instead opt
for softer whites with a hint of grey or pink
in their base. Texture is key in a garden room,
without it they can feel quite clinical. Layer
up sofas with different fabric cushions and
add throws and blankets for an easy way to
add a pop of colour. Shutters work
wonderfully to give an air of old world
elegance in a garden room as well as providing
privacy at night.”
PRE-LOVED FURNITURE GIVEN A MAKE-OVER WITH STEPH BRIGGS
Now if we haven’t persuaded you to run out
and buy a garden room right now, you might
want to give this feature a quick re-read. The
benefits and potential of these perfectly
individual little rooms are endless. So, how
about a quiet cup of tea in your secluded
garden room, while you indulge in your
favourite guilty-pleasure TV-show, away from
the madness of everyday life? That sounds
too perfect to pass up, hope you don’t mind
if we join you!
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