Latest news with #outdoorKitchen
The Guardian
27-06-2025
- Lifestyle
- The Guardian
The hottest trend in gardening? The coveted outdoor kitchen
This week, I read that Joa Studholme, Farrow & Ball's colour curator, was predicting the onslaught of butter yellow paint in our homes a decade ago, when everyone was still furiously coating their walls in 'mizzle' grey. I marvelled at both her foresight and the comfortingly glacial pace of interior design trends. But if interiors trends are slow, I'd argue gardening ones are even slower. One of the trends that comes up persistently is the outdoor kitchen. In my mind, they are associated with Guides' camps and fixed barbecue grills that are used once then languish unwashed until the entire shenanigan unfolds again the following summer. But I've realised I'm alone in this: garden designer Pollyanna Wilkinson, whose book How to Design a Garden is full of invaluable advice, tells me 99% of her clients have requested one in recent years: 'They're popular as they allow you to be sociable – if you're hosting outside, you can remain with them while cooking.' While I do host a lot, I can never be bothered to offer more than drinks outside; it's such a faff to carry everything in and out, and food can quickly go cold outdoors. But if you are dedicated to alfresco hosting (and have a four- or even five-figure budget), top-end outdoor kitchens provide work surfaces with built-in barbecues, sinks, wired-in fridges and beer taps. Ideally, it would be integrated with its surroundings, reflecting the materials used in your home or garden. Things to think about if considering one of these include checking where the sun will be in the evenings (now is a good time to do this; it will be in a different position come autumn or winter) and how your planting will fit the area. Softening the utilities with elegant grasses and perennial colour will make a massive difference. Salvias are a good place to start, as they keep colour coming from midsummer through to November. Sign up to Inside Saturday The only way to get a look behind the scenes of the Saturday magazine. Sign up to get the inside story from our top writers as well as all the must-read articles and columns, delivered to your inbox every weekend. after newsletter promotion But you probably want to make the most of the outdoor dining season right now. The most aesthetically pleasing, low-impact, though not the cheapest solution is the coveted Big Green Egg, a ceramic charcoal barbecue which also works in smaller gardens. Wheel it in, wheel it out; make the most of those open-fire flavours. And while I don't crave an outdoor worktop, I do see the benefits of a sink and a tap: it's a space to wash off flower pots, muddy boots and maybe even that barbecue grill before another summer sails by. Whatever you're cooking on, it's chic and sensible to grow some edible plants around your outdoor dining area. Pots of herbs on the table, nasturtiums, borage, chamomile and cornflowers within reach – perfect for the freshest of garnishes for salads or cocktails, and good for the bees too.
The Sun
10-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Sun
I swear by five tricks to glam up your garden – my £20 hack transformed my patio and a FREE tip made a huge difference
A DIY fan and savvy saver has shared five tricks to glam up your garden whilst staying on a budget. Shelley Carline not only transformed her grubby patio for just £20, but she also swears by a free tip that makes a huge difference to your space. 2 2 Not only this, but the gardening guru explained how you can re-use materials to create an outdoor kitchen, as well as sharing her 'go to' section in garden centres for brilliant bargains you won't want to miss. The content creator who has 64,700 followers on TikTok and often posts interior clips and DIY tricks online, took to social media to share her five money-saving hacks - and it's left many open-mouthed. Shelley confirmed that in 2024, she spent a lot of money on her garden cabin, pebbles and wood. As a result, she tried to think of ways to make her ' garden look good without spending a fortune'. Shelley shared her five simple and effective tips and tricks - and the first one involved using paint to give her path and patio a glow up. The DIY enthusiast used black and white paint to create a checkerboard style design, which cost her just £20, as she beamed: 'Made a huge difference, was a lot cheaper and easier than laying new flagstones and it's lasted well.' Secondly, Shelley revealed how she reused materials to create an outdoor kitchen in her garden. She explained: 'Our outdoor kitchen was built entirely from materials we had left from other jobs. The £40 we spent was for the sink from Marrakesh!' As well as this, also for just £20, Shelley used the same black and white paint to glam up her furniture. She acknowledged: 'Our beanbags had faded loads so I painted them and also painted an old rocking chair and this gave them a new lease of life.' B&M shoppers are giving their gardens a summer glow up with £12 bargain Additionally, Shelley stressed that she always buys plants out of season or in the discounted section to save cash. She described the discounted section as her 'first go to' when she visits a garden centre, as she confessed: 'We bought the magnolia for half price as it was after it had flowered. It's so lovely to see it flower for the first time this year.' Garden features that add the most value to a house A well-kept garden can add anywhere between 5-20% to the value of a property. carried out a study and consulted 36 estate agents, garden designers and property professionals from across the UK. And the experts revealed the garden feature which adds the most value to a property is a shed. Shed - 82% Patio or paving - 76% Secure fencing, walls or gates - 72% Outdoor lighting - 66% Sturdy decking - 62% Water features eg. fountain or pond - 58% Modern garden furniture - 54% Artificial lawn/grass - 40% But that's not all, as Shelley then gave her followers an insight into the free hack she couldn't recommend enough. Thanks to trees in her garden, Shelley used chopped up logs to create borders in her outside space. As she demonstrated herself hammering logs into a border, she said: 'We had to remove a few trees when building the cabin - we chopped them up to create small logs which we used round our grass borders.' Social media users beam The TikTok clip, which was posted under the username @ shelleycarline_design, has clearly left many open-mouthed, as it has quickly amassed 87,200 views. Not only this, but it's also racked up 2,833 likes, 38 comments and 1,135 saves. One person said: 'Love the chopped wood edges!' Another added: 'That's really gorgeous.' Top 5 Spring Gardening Jobs *If you click a link in this boxout, we may earn affiliate revenue Nick Grey, Gtech Inventor and CEO shared the tasks to crack on with as Spring arrives. 1. Clean your garden Make sure to clear away all leaves, soil and plant debris from your patios and flower beds; this creates a healthier environment for new growth, especially as we get into the summer months. Gtech's Garden Safety Kit includes durable gardening gloves and safety glasses; perfect for comfortability whilst tackling those outdoor tasks. 2. Weeding Early Spring is the best time to tackle weeds; if you can introduce some regular weeding into your routine, you can guarantee a tidy garden all year round. 3. Hedge maintenance Spring is the ideal time to tidy up overgrown hedges and shrubs, as regular trimming ensures healthy growth and reduces pest issues. Using a tool like the Gtech Lightweight Hedge Trimmer can help to keep your greenery looking sharp and neat. 4. Composting Starting a compost heap this spring is a pro-active, cost-effective way to harness nutritious soil for your plants and recycle organic waste that will benefit the overall health of your greenery and foliage. 5. Look after your lawn Lawn care is hugely important in assuring your garden stays looking beautiful. Make sure to rake away any excess leaves and trim your grass routinely. A third commented: 'The painted path is so cute.' Whilst someone else chimed in: 'Absolutely beautiful. Love your style.' Meanwhile, someone else asked: 'Yard is wonderful, I'm unsure on painted furniture though. How does the paint hold up on those surfaces if sitting on them?' To this, Shelley responded and confirmed: 'It's been ok, although [it] does need a little bit of a touch up where the dog has been on it!'
