As an Italian family business, we spend most of our summers outdoors, lounging, socialising, dining, or just taking a few mindful moments to ourselves.

We’re heading into the beginning of summer already, but there’s still plenty of time to give outside spaces some love, and get them spruced up ready for the warm, sunny weather we’ll be having - hopefully!

Having a garden is such a delight - whether you have a lush green garden or a modest yard, it’s a lovely luxury to have, and can truly be an extension to your home if you style it right.

Here are our top tips for small sustainable touches to make your garden feel like another room in your home.

 

1. Continue your interior colour scheme outside 

Whichever room leads out to the garden, whether it’s your dining room, kitchen, lounge, or even a bedroom, try to continue that colour scheme out into the garden as much as you can, to really make it feel like an extension of your home.

This is our first and most important tip, as it will dictate which garden accessories you choose throughout the following styling ideas…

 

2. Get an eco-friendly outdoor rug for your patio or decking

Adding a rug to your outside space immediately makes it feel more like a room in your home. Many outdoor rugs are made from plastic, and although there are lots that are made of recycled plastic bottles, we always lean towards natural fibres instead, as they’re better for the environment.

These Organic Jute Rugs from The Braided Rug Company are absolutely beautiful, sustainable, and come in all sorts of patterns and colours - there’ll definitely be one to suit your chosen colour scheme.

And while a jute rug is great for use outdoors on a sunny day, we’d recommend rolling it up and keeping it somewhere dry when it’s not in use, in order to keep it in good condition for as long as possible.

 

 

3. Make your outdoor space comfy with sustainable soft furnishings

To make your garden feel like another room in your home, it’s got to feel really comfortable and cosy.

Making your garden furniture more comfy is easy - you can simply bring your lounge cushions and throws outside! However, if you’d rather something waterproof, this outdoor cushion is made of waxed cotton, making it perfect for using in the garden.

The Chevron Recycled Cotton Throw from Karakorum is a great option if you are in need of a new sustainable blanket or two, and it comes in 6 lovely colours to complement your garden decor.

 

4. Jazz up your outdoor dining with tableware

Dressing your garden table as you would your indoor dining table can really make your outside space feel like a room in your house - and eating outside doesn’t have to mean plastic crockery and paper napkins.

Your everyday tablecloth, sustainable washable paper placemats, linen napkins and crockery are definitely suitable for eating al fresco, especially as it’s always more sustainable to use what you already have.

But if you do want to make your outdoor dining table extra special this summer, you could add some colourful glassware (which you can often find in second hand and vintage shops) alongside our UASHMAMA Ice-cube Beverage Chiller, for keeping those delicious summer drinks cool.

 

 

5. UASHMAMA Paper Bags - the perfect garden party accompaniment

Whether you’re planning to have sophisticated soirées or relaxed afternoon barbecues this summer, the UASHMAMA signature Paper Bags are just as useful in the garden as they are inside the home.

The different sizes are so versatile - the Large Paper Bag is perfect for holding burger buns, while the Small is great for nibbles and snacks on the table. They also come in a multitude of colours, meaning there’ll be a perfect shade to match your chosen colour scheme.

 

6. Grow complementary flowers, and vegetables too

It’s not too late to start growing flowers and vegetables for the summer - you may have missed the seed-planting window, but you can easily get seedlings and small plants to go straight into your borders or pots.

If you’re limited on space, you can grow climbing plants, like beans, cucumbers and squash in pots, and if you’re growing flowers, try to choose ones that match your colour scheme, and pick a few to decorate your table too.

Having a garden that not only looks beautiful, but is growing food makes it an extra-special and sustainable place to spend time and socialise in, plus it’s wonderful for pollinating insects, who are so important for biodiversity and the environment.

 

7. Add some outdoor lighting for cosy evenings

To make sure you can still use your garden comfortably when the sun goes down, some cosy lighting is essential.

Citronella soy wax tea lights have the added bonus of keeping pesky bugs at bay, while also setting a magical scene, especially when paired with a UASHMAMA Toge Toge Lampshade to diffuse the light beautifully.

If you prefer electric lights over an open flame, go for some solar-powered lighting. This spherical ShapeLights Solar Powered Mood Light will definitely make your garden feel like another room of the house, and is so elegant.

 

 

With these tips, you should be all set to enjoy your sustainable garden all summer long, in both comfort and style. If you’re after some food and drinks ideas, how about a mouthwatering Italian aperitivo followed by some delicious Tuscan salads?

For more styling inspiration, browse the UASHMAMA blog, and check out what’s new in the UASHMAMA shop.