The extra room you already own — it just needs a little furnishing.
We’ve worked our way through the house — living room, bedroom, kitchen and dining. Now we’re stepping outside. The garden is the room people forget they have. Whether it’s a proper lawn or a paved patch by the back door, a bit of thought turns it from somewhere you walk through into somewhere you actually sit. And come summer, it’s often the most-used room of the lot.
You don’t need a landscaper or a big budget to make it work. As ever, there’s a way to build it up over a season or two, at a pace that suits you.
Start with somewhere to sit
Every outdoor space needs one good place to land. Before planters or fairy lights, sort the seating — it’s what turns a garden from a view into a room. Think about how you’ll use it: morning coffee for two, or long evenings with friends? A compact bistro set and a six-seater dining set are very different decisions, and the right one comes down to your space and how you live.
Decent outdoor furniture is built to weather the seasons, so it’s worth choosing something that lasts rather than replacing a cheap set every summer. Spreading the cost over time, subject to status, makes it easier to buy once and buy well.
Build outwards
With the seating sorted, the rest follows easily — and the garden is forgiving, so you can add bit by bit as the weather turns. Here’s the order we’d work in:
- Seating — a dining set or lounge set, sized to your space
- Shade — a parasol or shade sail makes a sunny spot usable all day
- Lighting — solar or festoon lights stretch the evening out
- Warmth — a fire pit or patio heater for cooler nights
- The finishing touches — cushions, an outdoor rug, a few potted plants
Make it a room, not just a space
The gardens that get used are the ones that feel like an extension of the home rather than an afterthought. Soft cushions, a bit of light, somewhere to put a drink down — small touches that say stay a while. Tuck cushions away when it rains and they’ll last for years. There’s no wrong way to do this when it’s your own patch of outside.
The takeaway
Sort somewhere comfortable to sit first, then build the comfort around it across the season. The garden doesn’t need to be finished to be enjoyed — it just needs a reason to go out and stay out. And whatever you’ve got your heart set on, there’s always a way to get there.
That completes the first run of Room by Room, Your Way — the whole home, inside and out.
Furniture is available to spread the cost, subject to status. PayItYourWay is a credit introducer, not a lender.
Your home, your way.