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Outdoor Retreat

Designer Jill Evans explains how to create a beautiful summerhouse in your garden.

If a conservatory is not an option for your house, but you have an outhouse in a sunny position, why not create a light space to sit out and enjoy the sunshine?

Comfortable furniture that you need not worry about, lots of paint and a few Fresh bright fabrics will turn your space into an inviting summerhouse where you can really make the most of the sun all year round.

First ensure the roof is watertight, then increase the amount of light by painting walls, ceiling (and possibly floor) in light colours. For a clean, fresh look, simply whitewash the walls, or re-point stone walls if they are in reasonable condition. Bricks can be painted effectively, but breeze blocks never look good, raw or painted. Tongue-and-groove panelling can hide a multitude of sins stylishly, especially in a location within sound or sight of the sea. The Little Greene Paint Company shows just how effective this can be. Painted concrete floors are right on trend as well as being an inexpensive and stylish way to tackle flooring. Paints with an anti-slip finish are advisable. Flatwoven jute rugs could be thrown on virtually any floor as a temporary measure, with their natural colours and texture adding to the relaxed scheme.

Glazing existing doors would also make an enormous difference to the view from and the light within the room, or perhaps buying new doors with toughened safety glass would be easier, safer and not too costly. As it may be damp, it is best to choose shabby furniture, which has the added advantage of effortlessly achieving that chic casual look. In this simple summerhouse, nothing looks better than old Lloyd Loom furniture, no matter how much it has been pre-loved. The antiques shops in places like Honiton are good hunting grounds or else you could look online at forthcoming sales in auction houses, such as the ones in Bideford or Honiton You can always paint these items but they are often best left in the original condition, bravely showing their years of experience.

Special outdoor furniture and fabrics are another option, such as those from GP and Baker or Suntrella. Bright cushions and seat covers for chairs, mixing stripes, checks, florals and charming motifs will really lift the scheme and the Beachcomber Collection from Baker Lifestyle fits the bill for all these designs. Best take these indoors for the winter as you will be sad if they lose their freshness.

On the same idea, there are some fabulous new Lloyd Loom-type chairs designed for the outdoors in beautiful shapes that are classic and modern in just the right colours by Vincent Sheppard. Should you wish to use the summerhouse for dining, there are some incredibly beautiful tables that can be used indoors or outdoors made by a firm in Devon using the wonderful combination of green oak for the base and a piece of chunky slate for the top. The tables can take most of what you throw at them in the way of children’s or grown-ups parties. Hurricane candle lights would be a simple way to add a flattering light as the sun goes down.

Going a stage further and making an outhouse into a real room for all seasons would involve taking advice from builders about such things as electricity, heating, lighting, ventilation and insulation. Taking out part or most of one wall and making it virtually all glass by adding new bi- fold sliding aluminium doors, or even installing a whole sliding folding wall, would be somewhat costly but would look stunning. It would extend the use of this space enormously, probably adding value to your home at the same time, and would definitely give the feeling of being part of the garden.

This works particularly well if the floor levels indoors and out are the same so you hardly know where one stops and the other starts. Glazed hardwood double doors would also give this sense of openness, space and light which is so appealing. The same furniture as in the simple summerhouse would be appropriate, with perhaps the addition of a comfortable old sofa. Use furnishings that you do not need to worry about to create an instant mood of relaxation.

A very luxurious idea is to install at wood—burning stove so that you can be really warm and cosy as you look out through the glass, and it enables you to make use of the room even when there is snow on the ground. A stove and Hue would need careful installation by a knowledgeable builder.

Quite how far you go towards making your summerhouse into a real room depends on your budget, time and energy. Remember always to ensure that your project conform to any planning or building regulations. Why not opt for the simplest way first — and then if it turns out to be a space you love to use, which it probably will, consider going a stage further as and when you can.

Photographs: Baker Lifestyle, Vincent Sheppard

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