Nautical Garden Makeover : The Final Reveal

Here it is guys, the final reveal of our nautical garden makeover and I cannot describe to you how proud I am of what we have created. This post will be quite heavy on images I’m afraid because I wanted you to see the space we now have from every possible angle lol! As you know, I wanted to design a space with a coastal vibe. As we live beside the sea and blue and white is my favourite colour combo, this seemed like a sensible choice. Also, the whole nautical theme is timeless and never dates or goes out of fashion.

Although I had made a moodboard of all the products I planned to use in the space, I wasn’t really that sure how it would all come together. You see, I’m not very good at visualising so I really struggle when it comes to pulling a scheme together. But luckily this nautical garden makeover turned out way better than I imagined.

*This post contains affiliate links which are marked with an asterisk*

This was the moodboard that I created and as you can see it has translated really well. We worked with the items that we already owned and added a few extras to create the look. We got our 3-seater teak garden bench late last year and we also already had the Palma Cube casual dining set from Kettler. So I just needed to add a few extra seats in case we have guests round. We opted for two folding armchairs from the *Denia range at B&Q* so that we can easily store them through the winter.

I picked up the sheep skins and blankets from IKEA. As we were delayed with this project and didn’t finish it until August, I already had autumn in mind while we were working on it. I don’t really want to wait until next year to use this space so I decided to get us fully prepared for the colder months so we can still get outdoors. Having the sheepskins and blankets means we’ll still be able to sit out on those cold and crisp autumn days. As long as it isn’t raining I’ll be dragging the family to the garden.

I also worked with a few sponsors on this project who very kindly provided some products for our makeover. I had been admiring the outdoor rugs by Dash and Albert for quite some time so I got in touch to ask them to work with me. Luckily they said yes as I’d been dying to try one of their rugs.  I love the idea of using rugs outside and as you can see this beautiful denim/ivory herringbone rug has really helped to anchor the space and make it feel more like an outdoor room.

The expanse of blue has helped to cement the nautical feel and co-ordinates really well with all the other accessories we have used. The feel of the rug underfoot is indescribable. I kicked my shoes straight off and now spend most of the time barefoot while out on the decking, as do the children. Whilst it is an outdoor rug, I’m not leaving it outside. It is such a  nice piece, I want to be able to use it for years to come, so I only get it out for the time we spend outside, then I pack it away again. It’s a bit of a faff, but I’d much rather keep it nice than risk it getting damaged.

I also contacted *Maisons du Monde* to see if they would be able to supply some outdoor cushions for our nautical garden makeover. I spent days searching online for something to fit the nautical theme but the choice was really limited. Until I stumbled across these gorgeous *outdoor cushions*. Exactly what I had in mind and a great price too.

A  lot of outdoor cushions are really expensive but these aren’t so I definitely recommend checking *Maisons du Monde* if you’re also after something similar. I used two big square cushions for the reclining arm chairs and three bolster cushions on the bench. They really help to make the hard furniture more comfortable. The fabric also looks like it will be quite easy to clean should any sticky little fingers get hold of the cushions which is very likely.

I was approached by Jalu Ltd who wanted to work with me so I offered to review one of their outdoor lamps and provide some feedback. Luckily the Holix lamps are highly customisable as you can choose how many modules to have and what colour they will be. You can also customise the lid or choose a table top in the colours and pattern you want. I obviously stuck to a blue and white colour pallet and chose to make my lamp stripey. It looks really amazing and we’ve had so many comments on it from friends and family.

Luckily this is one of the items we have that can be left outdoors. Again, I probably won’t leave it outside to fend off the elements over winter as this is unnecessary wear and tear. I’ll be writing a separate post about this lamp with more detailed feedback so pop back soon if you’re interested to hear more.

I also worked with Festive Lights who sent me the white festoon lights. (See below for a discount code). I received an 8m string, but I actually need about 16m, which isn’t really a problem as you can connect up to five strings. So I’ll probably need to buy another set next year so that the lights can go all the way round the balustrade. (The balustrade was provided by Richard Burbidge. You can read more about that in the post I wrote about the construction of our decking)

Here I have just draped the lights over the balustrade but for next year I’ll get Mr Design Sheppard to put some hooks under the hand rail so we can properly hang them up easily and securely.  He has already fitted an outdoor waterproof plug socket extension to the balustrade so we can plug in all our lighting, phone chargers, and sound system, if necessary.

I think the festoon lights look really great in the background and I can’t wait to get out in the garden at night to see how they illuminate the space. I think we’ll probably get more use out of them as autumn approaches and it gets darker earlier. We tend to pack up and go inside before it gets dark at the moment.

Festive Lights are kindly offering Design Sheppard readers a 10% discount off the whole site www.festive-lights.com until the end of the year (31.12.17). Use code SHEPPARD10 to get your discount

As you can see from the sky in these pictures, I picked a pretty stormy day to photograph our nautical garden makeover. The weather has been so changeable recently that it’s been really hard to find a day with good weather when I’ve not been at work. So last Friday, although heavy rain was forecast, I decided to get out and shoot the garden in a sunny spell that fell between downpours.

My dad came round to help me and it was like an episode of Challenge Anneka (anyone remember that?). In just 30 minutes we had unpacked all the bits, styled the decking, taken the photos and packed it all away again just in time for the skies to open up and unleash one of the heaviest downpours I have ever experienced. I got soaked to the skin whilst dashing around packing everything back in the shed again.

It was really quite hilarious when I think back. Dad kept looking up telling me how many minutes until that huge black cloud reached us, while I desperately darted around getting photos from all angles. You might notice one of the sheep skins flopped over in a few of the pictures. The wind kept blowing it down and I didn’t notice until I reviewed the photos inside. You can’t win them all.

I’d love to know what you think of my nautical garden makeover so please leave me a comment below. We’ve spent months working on this and I am now really enjoying using this space. I know it’s already nearly the end of summer and it will be September before we know it, but if you haven’t had a chance to work on your own garden makeover yet this year, it’s really not too late.

There are loads of sales on at the moment so there are some really great savings to be had. If you’re thinking about doing your own makeover next spring/summer I suggest you think about buying any garden furniture or accessories now so you can benefit from the discounts that are currently being offered. You’ll pay much more if you wait til next year. You can always store it over winter so you’re ready to get going at the first hint of good weather next spring. If you need some inspiration for your garden makeover you can refer to this post I wrote featuring some gorgeous garden spaces.

Get the Look

If you’d like to do your own nautical garden makeover, here is where I sourced all the products I used.

Rug by Dash & Albert
Holix Outdoor floor lamp by Jalu Ltd
Decking Balustrade by Richard Burbidge
*OLÉRON outdoor cushion in blue stripe 30 x 50cm by Maisons du Monde*
*CÔTE SAUVAGE cotton cushion in blue / white 30 x 50cm by Maisons du Monde*
*Ile de Ré print fabric outdoor cushion 45 x 45 cm by Maisons du Monde*
*Mariniere striped fabric outdoor cushion 30 x 50 cm by Maisons du Monde*
*Denia Recliner chairs from B&Q*
Garden Bench by Garden Benches
Palma Cube Set by Kettler
Sheepskin Rugs by IKEA
Stockholm 2017 Blue Carafe by IKEA
Gurli Throw Blanket by IKEA
Skogsklocka Throw Blanket by IKEA
Knagglig Pine Box used as Side Table by IKEA
VQ Hepburn MKII DAB Radio
Festoon Lights by Festive Lights

 

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Disclosure : This post has been written in collaboration with a number of brands who kindly agreed to sponsor our nautical garden makeover by providing products to enable us to create a wonderful outdoor space. Huge thanks goes out to Richard Burbidge, Dash & Albert, Maisons du Monde, Festive Lighting, and Jalu Ltd for their support. Without them this project would have been nowhere near as good. As always, I only work with brands that I know and love and believe that my readers will love too.