With a little careful planning and creativity, everyone can have an outdoor space that feels and looks luxurious, even on a limited budget. Below we show you 12 ways you can achieve this for yourself.
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Take Good Care of Your Greenery
No matter how much money you throw at your garden if your lawn is patchy, your plants are dying and your weeds are overgrowing, it’s still not going to look luxurious or expensive. Start taking care of your plants and your lawn and you’ll be surprised at how much of a difference it makes to the overall look of your garden. Make sure to feed your lawn with the proper fertilizer to keep it green and mow it regularly to keep it looking short and neat. If you don’t have the time for regular garden upkeep, toss out your turf and replace it with artificial grass for an evergreen look that requires no maintenance. You can also replace your outdoor plants and hanging baskets with artificial shrubbery and flowers if you’re not naturally green fingered.
Have a Place for Everything
Just as you do inside your home, your outdoor space should have some sort of tidying system for your outdoor appliances and gardening tools. Outdoor bins should be hidden away behind a screen or kept in a bin shed. Other appliances like your lawnmower, hose pipe, garden brush and anything else that typically gets left outside should also have a safe and secure storage space of its own. Tidying away ugly appliances like these will help to make your garden look neat, put together and above all: expensive.
Create a Focal Point… or Two!
When someone steps into your garden what’s the first thing they see? This is a question you should be asking yourself before you plan to do any sort of landscaping or garden decorating. If the first thing someone sees is a broken plant pot and a rusty old shovel, it instantly sets the tone for your garden and gives the impression that it is unkempt and untidy. Similarly, if the first thing that catches your eye is a modern water feature and a brightly coloured plant this will help to create the illusion that your garden is well cared for and give off a more luxurious feel, even if there are eyesores within your garden elsewhere. Create a feature that is pleasing to look at such as a water feature, a garden arbour or archway.
Add Soft Furnishings
Soft Furnishings aren’t reserved for indoor use. Throw pillows, blankets and outdoor rugs can make a garden space look properly furnished and therefore luxurious. Soft furnishings can also give your outdoor space a cozier and more inviting feel. Just be sure to store your furnishings in a waterproof blanket box or bring them indoors when not in use (even if they are weatherproof).
Fix and Mend
Creaky gate? Put some oil on it! Chipped Paint? Sand it down and re-paint it! Broken light? Replace the bulb! Worn and broken features can instantly devalue the look and feel of your garden, no matter how much you paid for them in the first place!
Clean Your Floors
To make your garden look well groomed it’s important to keep things clean. Make sure you regularly sweep your patio and decking and jet wash your flagstones every so often to prevent heavy dirt build up. To may be surprised at how much of a difference 5 minutes of cleaning can make to the look of your garden.
Make Your Paths More Interesting
One effective and inexpensive way to make your garden look more expensive is to give your garden paths some T.L.C. While block paving and stamped concrete can be costly, aggregates are pretty cheap when bought in bulk and can transform the look of your garden instantly. Decorative aggregates come in hundreds of sizes and colours from black granite to blue slate and everything in-between. There are many other ways to revamp your path on a budget such as adding a decorative border using plants or colourful stones, using mosaic tiles to add an interesting design element to the floor or even pouring your own concrete stepping-stones and setting glass beads into the mix. One of the cheapest ways to revamp paths is to paint them. If you choose to do this, try using a stencil to add an interesting design with the paint.
Light it Well
One of the most important elements of both interior and exterior design is lighting. Lights not only have the purpose of illuminating a space but also creating a desired atmosphere. Choose lights with a warm tone to create the perfect feeling of relaxation that will help you wind down for the evening.
Choose a Colour Theme
Sticking to a specific colour theme can be difficult, especially if you’re a fan of many colours. However, if you’re looking to achieve a sophisticated, uniformed look its best to stick to no more than three shades of the same colour and complement it with a highlight colour. For example, if you like blue, use two or three shades on either the lighter or darker side of the spectrum and make it pop with sprinkles of a contrasting colour like gold or orange.
Use Every Space to Your Advantage
No matter how small or large your garden, each space should be dedicated to either a functional or decorative purpose. If there are corners of your garden that are going completely unused, it’s time to do a little re-planning. If you have an awkward space that can’t be used for activities make sure to add some visual interest instead rather than leaving it desolate. Using every space will make it appear as though a lot of careful thought and planning has gone into creating your garden, just as it would as if you’d hired a professional landscape artist or architect.
Don’t Try to Be Too Grown Up
When we want our outdoor space to appear sophisticated and expensive it’s easy to be too safe and not take any risks with our decisions. However, if we look to the gardens of the richest celebrities and most high profile people for inspiration we see that they are daring enough to have a little bit of fun with their garden design. Don’t be afraid to add something a little bit whimsical or eccentric, especially if it’s a true expression of your personality.
Add Fire and Water
Two key elements that can quickly mark up your gardens visual value are water and fire. A simple DIY fire pit and a small water feature can be all you need to take your garden from boring to interesting. Both fire and water offer benefits when you introduce them to your outdoor space: water can be very therapeutic and relaxing to be near and fire is lovely to sit by on a cool evening. Each element is also visually appealing and will add dimension to your garden.
