Thinking of entertaining outside this summer? Does your garden need a makeover to accommodate all those summer party guests you’re thinking of? Need to do it without breaking the bank?
Well now, we have some simple styling ideas that will give your garden the summer party glow-up it deserves.
Glow Up Your Garden with Outdoor Lighting
It’s obvious! Party friendly lighting is the fastest way to get a little glamour into your garden during summer party season. But how will you be doing it without breaking the bank? Let's take a look.
There are some great ideas out there for low-budget, party lighting ideas when outdoor entertaining stretches into the night.
Low-tech Candlelight Centerpieces
Fill some old terracotta pots with sand and ‘plant’ some tall, tapered candles - 3 in a pot - to create some rough and ready candle holders for your garden tables. You can even place these along walkways to light the way in.
Fairy Lights for the Win
Take out those Christmas fairy lights and recycle them in the summer. You can even pick up simple battery operated lights to hang strategically from key areas for a bit of atmosphere.
Go one step further and recycle large old pickle jars or Kilner jars as lanterns.
If you don’t want to put candles into them, you can fill them with batteries or even better, solar-powered fairy lights. Suspend them off hooks or place them as centerpieces.
Solar Lanterns
If you’re willing to splash out a little then using a solar powered options is an excellent sustainable solution - check out our Party Solar String Lights available in a string of rainbow colours.
There are also bigger Party Solar Lanterns in assorted candy colours.
Install Hooks Along Garden walls
A simple strategic installation of old peg rails or simple metal hooks around your garden walls will come in handy for suspending lanterns, mounting rain resistant sails, handmade bunting or decorations.
For more inspiration during the darker seasons check out our blog: Outdoor Lighting Ideas To Add, Glam, Glow & Gorgeous Seasonal Sparkle to your Home
Add An Awning
With hooks in place, all you have to do is repurpose an old piece of tarp, drop cloth or sail into a make- shift DIY awning for sheltering your outdoor party guests. Just create corresponding holes for hooking into and suspend between the corners of your garden. This works perfectly for smaller gardens and urban yards.
If you’d like to invest in something more structured, collapsible and portable, consider a simple pop up party tent.
Keep Them Warm
Don’t forget to pick up a simple fire pit or Chiminea to keep the party going even longer into the night. It will make for a cosy centerpiece. Perfect for late night storytelling and the perfect excuse for toasting some marshmallows too.
Paint Me a Rainbow! Colour in Some Playful Tones
There is so much you can do with a lick of paint!
Colourful Feature Walls
Take on some brights and be brave. Consider painting neglected stone walls in some saturated tones like a vibrant orange, purple, neon yellow , cobalt blue or even pink.
Go one step further and toy with using a stencil to create a more engaging wall feature that will certainly give your guests something to gasp over. if you get bored with it, just paint it over with another colour!
Bright splashes of colour can really work behind an array of potted plants. Pick a colour that contrasts well with the green foliage whilst also working well with your pots.
Makeover Ideas for your Patio Floor Space
Don’t just stick to the walls. Consider creating a floor pattern if you feel brave with those stencils. Use this hack to brighten up an ugly cement or cracked concrete patio floor.
Why not invest in some simple woven and weather resistant Garden Rugs. These will be great for adding a splash of colour and you can even use them over grass to create extra lounge space for the kids to play on.
Upcycle To Create Your Own Garden Party Furniture
You can also use leftover bits of colourful garden paint to upcycle items for reuse in the garden at party time.
Salvage and Repaint Discarded Furniture
Have you got some old chairs and tables? Or are you able to lay your hands on old, discarded stools, benches and stackable chairs from the salvage yard? Why not upcycle them with a quick clean and some good weather resistant paint. Why?
They’ll come in handy as extra seating for the next garden party.
Easy Pallet Furniture- Hacks
Sand down and mount an old pallet on simple casters to create a portable low coffee table for the patio. You could even paint it over in some neon brights for a colourful finish.
Throw some large cushions on it, and it becomes a mobile seating area
Mirror Mirror on the Garden Wall
Do you have a bare garden wall full of cracks, mouldy corners, and broken edges in need of a remedy? Here’s a quick fix!
Add an old mirror to the garden wall to cover over the dodgy bits, add the illusion of more space and use it as a glamorous light reflecting accessory at night. A full-length mirror would also work really well. You could even paint over the edges in a bright colour or use creepers to embellish the edges.
A DIY Garden Bar
Create a DIY Garden bar surface by installing a foldable wall-mounted table using some leftover plywood or pallet wood. You can use a chain to make it a drop-down table and a simple latch to secure it flush to the wall when not it is not in use.
You can even recycle an old cabinet with a lick of colourful paint into an impromptu side drinks cabinet.
There are handy furniture accessories that would also work for your outdoor bar - like the discrete 2 tier Seville Mosaic Drinks Table. It comes with a lower tier wine rack. Perfect for hosting an outdoor get together.
Hanging Chairs
For the extra bit of glamour - it's easy to invest in a woven hanging chair. Get a double seater hanging egg chair to create a more party-friendly nook in the corner of the garden
Clean up the Patio
Giving your patio a quick clean is another essential for getting party-ready. It won’t cost you much but it will take some elbow grease. You will do wonders with a power washer and it should cost you too much if you choose to hire one. Nevertheless it's a quick investment for getting a multitude of jobs done around your home. Front and back.
Check out our handy blog on getting the job: How to Clean your Patio in Time for the Summer
For more common sense advice on getting rid of the mouldy, mildewy corners take a look at our other blog: Mould and Mildew Removal and Prevention Tips for your Home
Pick up the right supplies
Stop by our online catalog to take a look at some handy Garden Furniture ideas or head to our Garden paint section to brighten up your outdoor space.
Here are some other items you may also want to consider the next time you stop by