00:00Your outdoor area is ugly. It's been a wet winter, it happens.
00:04I'm Interiors Editor Emma and here's where I'd skip STEM and SAFE to bring your outdoor area back to life.
00:09So what can we skip?
00:10It may be simpler in the short term, but skip the matchy-matchy set.
00:14And instead, take the same amount of consideration as you would selecting furniture for a room inside your home,
00:19mixing and matching different styles, silhouettes, colours, textures, patterns,
00:22to create a space that doesn't just feel like your garden, but like another room in your home.
00:27It's 2026, so let's skip the typical styling trope of tropical prints outside.
00:32Instead, you should be treating patterns the same as you would inside your home.
00:35Solid colours are timeless, stripes have a playful twist, and piped edges feel classically elegant.
00:41Okay, now where we can save.
00:42Your garden lighting has a huge influence over how long and how much you'll use your outdoor area, literally.
00:47So if you've realised you've got it wrong, you can always save on hard wiring by opting for battery or
00:52rechargeable lighting instead.
00:53And no, I'm not talking about string lights.
00:56There are so many design-forward table lamps, floor lamps and wall sconces these days, you've never realised were rechargeable.
01:02There is never anything stylish about having to pile outdoor cushions somewhere inside when they're not in use.
01:07So save yourself the space, money and unnecessary clutter by planning outdoor storage as part of your design.
01:13These days, there are so many bench seats and coffee tables with hidden storage built in, so you can even
01:19make it look design-forward.
01:20Okay, now where to spend big.
01:22Rather than splurging on an entire outdoor set, spend on one amazing thing.
01:26That could be a stone coffee table, curved sofa, or maybe a hotel-style parasol, and keep everything else relatively
01:33paired back.
01:33Not only will this one amazing thing elevate the look of your entire outdoor space, but it'll also draw the
01:39eye and prevent it from looking cramped or overcrowded, depending on how big it is.
01:42Those long, hot summer nights might not be here quite yet, but the time to refresh your outdoor space certainly
01:47is.
01:47What room should we style next?
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