Summerhouse Ideas. How to Create the Perfect Garden Room

Summerhouses, or garden rooms, are purpose-built wooden structures that generally have felt or tiled roofs.

They are becoming a staple of the modern British home, enabling us to get the most from our garden spaces. Summerhouses can be used for many different purposes, from offices to playrooms to cocktail bars.

The beauty of summerhouses is that they are entirely bespoke. No garden is too small, and a design can be developed to complement your home beautifully.

Most summerhouses do not require planning permission, but it is always best to check with your local council if you plan to build something particularly large.

Summerhouses are Functional and Multipurpose

Getting the most from your summerhouse means developing it to cater to a range of circumstances.

With the rise of home working, many choose to use their garden room as a home office. This is a great way to build a literal segregation between work and home, a blurred line many of us struggle with.

However, when using the space as an office, ensure it can double as something else during the evening and weekends, to use your space to its full potential. This might include an arts and crafts area, or a potting shed for keen gardeners.

Once you have defined the uses for the summerhouse, designing and decorating the room will flow much more naturally.

Don’t Forget the Insulation

The name doesn’t limit the room exclusively to the summer months, and this should be a space you enjoy all year round.

Therefore, insulation is essential to ensure your summerhouse is enjoyable in the colder months. Especially if you intend to use the space as a home office, proper insulation is crucial.

It’s Positioning Matters

Choosing the perfect sized summerhouse is vital. You need a space big enough to be functional but not so large that it will detract from your garden. Your summerhouse should complement rather than overpower.  

Generally, the best positioning is at the very end of your garden. It feels secluded and can provide the tranquillity many crave.

Avoid placing the summerhouse in the middle of your garden, as it can make the area feel claustrophobic. Additionally, too close to your home will not allow this garden room to become its own separate entity, and you could risk blocking sunlight to the house.

Adding a garden path through your lawn towards the summerhouse not only looks great but helps avoid dragging muddy shoes into your lovely purpose-built garden room.

Let in The Light

A summerhouse allows you the freedom to create an ambience utterly different from that in your home. You must inject the most natural light into the space that you can, great for boosting productivity and mood whilst enjoying the room.

Large patio doors and windows are ideal, allowing the sunlight to seep into the space effortlessly. However, if you opt for large panes of glass, be sure to hang great quality blinds. This will allow for light manipulation and family privacy.

Inject Your Personality

Your summerhouse is a space that affords you complete freedom with regards to décor.

A summerhouse gives you the ability to express your personality and interior design style, running with a design or theme that you may not have the confidence for inside the home. Bright colours work amazingly and are wonderful if you are doubling the space as a playroom.

White-washed Scandinavian themes are popular in offices, permitting you to keep furniture to a minimum in the room. Alternatively, mix and match items to give a relaxed, bohemian finish, which works particularly well when textures and colours contrast.

Be sure to show your personality on the outside of your garden room too. You should not feel limited to brown woody tones. Pastel blues and greens look marvellous surrounding summerhouses, encapsulating the summer vibe.

Remember to Leave a Little Storage

The uses for a summerhouse differ dramatically from that of a shed, but leaving yourself with a little storage will be extremely useful.

Most gardens are not afforded the luxury of enough space for both a summerhouse and a shed. So, for those without a garage, a summerhouse may also need to work as a storage space for some essential garden items. Having a space to store your lawnmower and other tools securely is ideal.

Keep this storage area completely separate. If possible, divide the space into two different rooms with a door adjoining. This way, your summerhouse will retain its functionality and continue to look fabulous.

Warren Powell-Richards are your local property experts for the area. Call us on 01483478200 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to chat with a member of our friendly and experienced team.

The living room is arguably the most important room in the house when it comes to design and style.

It’s likely to be the room where you spend most of your time, the room where you spend time entertaining guests, and it’s probably the first room that people see when they walk into your home.

Therefore it’s worth investing some time, effort and money to make it look as good as it possibly can.

Here are six top tips for styling your living room.

1. Be Sensible With The Space You Have

It’s important to be realistic about what can and cannot go in your living room. For example, just because you might have big ideas about getting a giant corner sofa, it doesn’t mean it will be a good fit for your living room.

Use the space wisely but avoid clutter. If that means some furniture has to go, or won’t be suitable then be ruthless and get rid, or avoid buying it.

Every living room is different, and it’s not a case of one size fits all.

If you are short of space then go for furniture that’s multi-functional, such as a footstool with storage space or a sofa that’s raised off the floor.

2. Give Your Room A Focal Point

If you’re fortunate enough to have a fireplace or a mantelpiece then you already have a focal point to work with.

If you don’t have either of these, then opt for a large mirror, artwork or clock. The focal point will be the first thing visitors see when they walk into the room and once it’s in place you can style the rest of the room around it.

Choose something that’s personal to you, and that you’ll want to see every time you walk into the room, not just a generic picture or mirror that’s just filling up a space.

3. Choose Your Colour Pallette – And Make It Personal

Your living room should be a reflection of your personality so be bold and style it to suit you.

Choosing the right colours to decorate your living room can make or break it. Light, airy colours such as magnolia, light grey or pastel green can really help to make the room feel more spacious, whereas darker colours will give it more of a cosy, homely feel.

It’s all down to personal choice and you should go with colours that you’ll be happy with in the years to come.

Making the space unique to you will help turn the room into a living space that you’ll want to spend time in. Whether that’s having an individual piece of art, or using retro furniture, be creative, and go with things you’ll love.

A few photos in the right places can be great for this, and give the room a more homely feel.

4. Avoid a Showroom Feel

There’s nothing particularly wrong with buying all of your furniture from the same place, but it can scream ‘showroom’ to guests, and it’s not individual or personalised to your own tastes.

Instead, try to go for a mix of colours, textures and fabrics, and even mix up old furniture with new to give the room a uniqueness.

5. Choose The Right Lighting

In the same way that you need to be sensible with the space you have, choosing the right lighting is crucial to the overall feel of your living room.

It may be that you want a chandelier when spotlights would be a better fit, or perhaps you’re looking for spotlights when a hanging fixture would work better.

Getting the right lighting will improve the aesthetics of your living room and choosing the right bulbs will help to set the mood for the room. Whether that’s a bright and airy feel or a cosier, warmer vibe, it’s important to go with the best lighting for your own space.

6. Make Sure It’s Functional

Sometimes it’s possible to get so carried away with styling your living room that you forget what it’s actual purpose is – a place to chill out in and host guests!

So before you even start looking at vintage antiques or giant wall clocks, consider what the essentials are that you’ll need to make the room work for you.

A sofa or armchairs, a coffee table for food and drinks, and some form of entertainment, most likely a TV, are the must haves, and after these are lined up you can begin thinking about rugs, artwork and accessories.

Want more home staging and styling tips? Warren Powell-Richards are your local property experts for the area and are happy to help you get your home ready for market.

Call us or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to find out how we can help you.