11 of the most luxurious garden accessories to buy right now
Hanging egg chairs, hot tubs, floating teepee beds, parasols and fire pits… whether you prefer a modern look or a bohemian vibe, this year’s “outdoor lounge” trend peaks in August – our traditional holiday month.
If you’re not able to get away, or prefer not to risk foreign travel, your garden is likely to become more about home comforts than horticulture, at least for a few weeks.
Sun or rain, nature has to take a back seat when the back garden becomes an outdoor living room. Silly season is upon us, a frivolous time of year which conjures up languid August days spent lolling about in the roasting sun like the mad English we are. What we’re all pining for now is an outdoor lounge.
And if this year’s trends in outdoor furnishings are anything to go by, summer is set to be more leisurely and languorous than ever before.
Sales of outdoor furniture, parasols, hot tubs, pergolas and sun loungers are going through the garden-shed roof. At John Lewis, sales of outdoor cushions are soaring, with sales up 66 per cent compared with this time last year.
Meanwhile, outdoor rugs are more popular than ever, with sales up by 331 per cent. Also on this summer’s hot list are fire pits and atmospheric outdoor lighting, with sales up 43 per cent and 120 per cent, respectively.
According to research by online florist Flowercard, there have been 4,758,000 Google searches for “fire pit” and 2,193,600 searches for “egg chair” in the UK over the past year.
“After spending so long apart during the various Covid lockdowns, people are desperate to have fun in the sun with their nearest and dearest,” says Rebecca Kane, founder of online home and gardenware emporium Silver Mushroom.
“A garden should be a place where you truly love to spend time.”
Britons are using their gardens as an extension of the home like never before, agrees Wil Law, home design stylist for John Lewis: “Rugs and cushions layered in patterns and in colours that suit your interior ensure an outdoor space feels ‘dressed’,” he says.
With that in mind, here is everything you need to create the laziest of paradises, reunited with family and friends for long afternoons of blissful idling –whether your taste is for sleek contemporary or vintage eclectic.
Plus, two leading outdoor-style influencers explain how they have created two very different lounge-worthy garden spaces to truly lust over…
Isatu Chardborn, Colchester
"I spend more time outdoors than indoors in the summer"
Interiors, garden and lifestyle influencer Isatu Chardborn blends Scandinavian influences and modern design with vintage buys. Here, she walks us through her Colchester outdoor living space.
“When we bought the house, the garden was a blank canvas. We wanted to design a social outdoor living space, which my husband Peter, our children Millie, 23, and Travis, 19, and our cockapoo, Ziggy, could enjoy together.
“It’s an extension of our home, with different areas. There’s a vintage sink from a salvage yard and an outdoor kitchen crafted from an old workbench, painted white. Under the pergola, which we had made bespoke by Stuart Young Carpentry & Joinery, is our dining space.
“The wicker pendant lights are from Iconic Lights, and the green dining chairs are from Cult Furniture.
“I like to mix new and old. For lounging, we’ve got rattan rocking chairs from B&Q, a corner sofa from Homebase, coffee tables and side tables, jute rugs from La Redoute, and a chiminea from Not on the High Street.
“In the summer house (from Garden Buildings Direct), there’s another sofa, which was originally in our lounge, and a bio fuel fire by Imaginfires.
“Silver birches line the edges of the garden, and the raised concrete beds were built by a friend. We’ve dotted the space with lots of potted plants and a potted olive tree, and we’ve planted an acer tree beneath the decking.
“We’ve also got a swing chair and a projector. I sat out there for hours last year watching the Glastonbury Experience festival reruns. I spend more time outdoors than indoors in the summer.”
Michaela and Ramy Zaben, Surrey
"We love bringing home comforts outside"
Michaela and Ramy Zaben renovated a 1940s former pig farm in Reigate, Surrey, after buying it in 2014. They added a two-storey side extension, cladding the house in larch and reimagining both house and garden in an unhurried, eco-conscious way.
“When we bought the Old Piggery, we loved the exterior space – it has a south-facing garden and land attached, including pond and woodland,” Michaela says.
“We wanted to create a calm, multi-zoned space, which could playfully transition into a fun party vibe, with hidden speakers linked to the inside of the house and dimmable lighting. We loved playing with bringing the inside out, bringing home comforts from indoors to the outdoors.
“By creating the zoned areas it almost feels like we have rooms outside. The zoned lighting and speakers all add to the inside-outside feel. Each zone has very different seating. There’s a granite dining table, cane sun-loungers for basking, snuggly sofas and chairs by the veg beds, and social bench seating for marshmallow-toasting.
We have a real passion for repurposing, so much of our outdoor furniture is either second-hand or bought directly from the maker.
“We had the cushions around the fire pit (cast in concrete by Ramy) made for us in Morocco, and the antique rug is from a salvage yard in Scotland. The outdoor recliners are second-hand from eBay, and I designed and welded the outdoor dining table myself with a reclaimed piece of marble from our local yard.
“The dining chairs are from John Lewis and our chair cushions are mostly from H&M home and Etsy.”
Modern luxe must-haves
1. Cane-line peacock day bed
Price: £7,650
Buy from: cane-line.co.uk
Cane-line is known for stylish-yet-weatherproof outdoor Danish design. This daybed is the last word in envy-making lounging (parasol not included).
2. Urban Cedar Spa premium Wi-Fi hot tub
Price: £9,995
Buy from: urbancedarhottubs.co.uk
You can pick up a Lay-Z-Spa hot tub from Robert Dyas for £699, but if you’re willing to splash the cash, this one seats 5-6 adults. Price includes installation.
3. 400X sport outdoor table tennis table
Price: £499
Buy from: uk.cornilleau.com
May we suggest a game of outdoor table tennis? It will keep the kids occupied while you slap on some more sun cream and sip an oversized gin and tonic.
4. Mint and silver fringed parasol
Price: £375
Buy from: rajtentclub.com
You’re not truly boho if you don’t have a fringed parasol. Raj Tent Club’s parasols are hand-crafted from natural bamboo in Bali, and will lend any gathering a festival feel.
5. Brink & Campman Cruz outdoor rug
Price: from £180
Buy from: amara.com
The outdoor rug, perfect for laid-back summer entertaining beneath the open sky, is the height of 2021 chic.
6. Orla Kiely Giant Linear Stem Seagrass outdoor rug,
Price: from £199\
Buy from: heugahinteriors.com
Orla Kiely OBE has launched a stylish array of indoor/outdoor cushions and rugs in her trademark prints.
7. Nuevo Citrus indoor/outdoor cushion by Scion Living
Price: £59
Buy from: woven.co.uk
Make a timeless geometric statement with these durable outdoor cushions.
8. Fermob Trefle square outdoor cushions in honey
Price: £109 (set of 2)
Buy from: timeoutspace.com
French brand Fermob offers the most chic outdoor living furnishings imaginable. Follow @fermob on Facebook for more ideas.
Sit back and relax...
9. Woven hanging chair by Amara Outdoors,
Price: £475
Buy from: amara.com
Who hasn’t secretly hankered after that most Instagram-friendly possession, a cocoon-like hanging egg chair? The phenomenon is hardly new – it’s been a critically acclaimed design ever since the distinctive sculptural shape was created by Nanna & Jorgen Ditzel in 1959.
Still, it’s never too late to jump on the bandwagon. Mrs Hinch decorates hers with faux-ivy and artificial fairy lights, and even Aldi and Argos are flogging them.
10. Caribe two-seater sofa,
Price: £2,072
Buy from: madeindesign.co.uk
This statement seating (also with armchairs and coffee table to match) was made by hand in Santa Marta, Colombia, from recycled plastic and galvanised steel. Other colours available.
11. Floating teepee bed by Lime Lace
Price: £461
Buy from: notonthehighstreet.com
Apparently, this teepee (suitable for outdoor use and suspended from a steel frame) comfortably fits 3-5 adults – but you may well prefer to relax in it all by yourself.
