What to consider when revamping your backyard

You may love spending time in your backyard, or you may dread the thought of heading outside. Whichever your feelings, it’s probably worth giving some thought to how you can make your outdoor space more enjoyable.

A little research and a few simple changes can go a long way towards transforming an uninspiring space into one that feels much more welcoming. Here are some things you need to think about when setting about revamping your backyard.

Painting your fence

The fence around your backyard is an important part of the overall aesthetic of your outdoor space. This can be the gateway to an entirely different space, or it can offer a simple way to add colour and interest to a more understated backyard. You can choose to paint your fence any colour at all, or you could make use of something that goes well with your house’s exterior and garden themes.

Add a garden bench

Gardening is a hobby that many people enjoy. It’s also one where there are plenty of ways you can get creative and make use of what already exists in your yard and what you bring outside with you on your adventures in soil. If that describes you, consider adding a garden bench to the yard and making it an anchor point for other elements like hammocks or tables.

The bench is relatively easy to set up, and it offers comfort while allowing you to relax and enjoy the surroundings by yourself or with friends. If being social isn’t really something that interests you, consider putting this area under cover so guests will never have any reason not to stop by when they’re hanging out by your pool.

Build an outdoor fireplace

While fireplaces have always been popular for added ambience when reading, they’re far more economical options for those who want the warmth of flames without spending a huge amount of money on log sets or wood to burn.

Depending on where you live and what climate conditions are like out there, fireplaces come pretty cheaply if you want something that looks nice enough to hang alongside your porch and give off any required ambience but doesn’t break the bank whatsoever. You might also want to bring in outdoor kitchen islands with grill so you can grill some meat when you have functions or meetings. The grill is usually sturdy and portable.

Update your planting

People often neglect the plants they grow in their backyard. But, you can use different techniques like pruning, deadhead and trimming to retain the great look of your planting. For example, if you want to change the look of your outdoor planting, then it’s best if you trim it occasionally.

Another way to do this is by pruning your plants, which will make them to be more compact and even look more beautiful. Running a pair of clippers through a tree or having someone else do it for you is easy. This will cut off the dead branches where needed, and this can help the plant’s health as well. You could also use low-growing plants like Lemon grass, myrtle and bay trees instead of tall ones.

Create an outdoor meeting area

Whether you like sitting alone in the evenings reading or spending time in your garden socialising with friends, outdoor seating is incredibly useful for enjoying time outside.

It doesn’t need to be permanent. You can simply add some folding chairs to a spot on your property and enjoy a beautiful sunset or sunny weather. If you’re not sure where to start, consider starting with a couple of deckchairs.

Use modern outdoor lights

Outdoor lights are an awesome idea for adding a contemporary and modern feel to your property. They’re a perfect alternative to expensive chandeliers and lamps. While lighting might change over time, it’s always a good idea to have light in at least one area in your yard. This area should be more than enough to light up your garden at night, especially when you have guests over.

Conclusion

Getting the right layout and plan for your backyard can open up your home and expand its space while also ensuring a relaxing retreat that you can use at any time of day. After all, having a yard is often an important aspect of a home. It’s the place where you can spend time on your own, with loved ones or host outdoor parties with friends and neighbours.

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Designer Desire: Alfred Daniels

Viewing sale lots for our Auction Alert series, I always happen across artists & designers that I’ve never come across previously.

Born in Trellis Street in Bow, and affectionately referred to as Danny, Alfred Daniels (1924-2015) is sometimes referred to as the Lowry of the East End – although he once quipped, “I’m not really an East Ender, I’m more of a Bow boy”.

With help from his uncle Charlie, he left school early and enrolled in Woolwich Polytechnic to learn sign-writing. He never completed his course, instead – again, thanks to his uncle – got a job as a lettering artist at the Lawrence Danes Studio in Chancery Lane.

When his uncle started up his own studio in Fetter Lane above the Vogue Magazine photo studio, he went to work for him, earning £1 a week. In 1947, Danny was accepted to attend the Royal College of Art. After gaining his 1st class degree there, he stayed on for a further year to study mural design.

In 1954, he completed his five impressive, award-winning murals inside Hammersmith Town Hall and also participated in their conservation in 1983.

I never wanted to be a painter, I wanted to be an illustrator of life… It isn’t enough to make a picture of something – You have to be there, you have to touch it, you have to experience it.

In 1973, he joined the Royal Watercolour Society, followed by the Royal Society of British Artists a decade later. He was also elected keeper of The Royal Society in 1991.

In addition to his many paintings, he illustrated calendars for Oxford University Press and posters for the General Post Office. He often exhibited at the Russell Gallery in Putney. His work is in the permanent collections of The Science Museum, Manchester Art Gallery, Bradford Museums and Galleries and Nottingham City Museums & Galleries.

For a number of years, he taught at Sir John Cass School of Art – nicknamed the ‘Aldgate Bauhaus’ and now the School of Art, Architecture and Design at London Metropolitan University. As well as teaching, he was the author of a number of books about drawing and painting.

The Gentle Author of Spitalfields Life interviewed and wrote about Alfred Daniels on many occasions. Included in the posts are lots of photos of his sketchbooks and studio in his family home in Bedford Park, Chiswick. You can find out more here.

Making a painting is like baking a cake, one slice is for you but the rest is for everyone else.

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Additional image credits:
Mutual Art

Price Points: Ethical sustainable jewellery

In the past few decades, we’ve become aware of ethical and/or sustainable food and fashion; but what about ethical sustainable jewellery?

We’ve heard of the many thousands of litres of water that it takes to manufacture a single pair of jeans, but what about the amount of greenhouse gas it takes to mine a diamond? Or what about the use of child labour? Or the profits from the mining and sale of precious metals & gemstones going towards funding civil wars?

The pieces listed below are certain to have been created without negative impact on the environment or local communities.

Annie Oak – Bee Geometric gold necklace: £25.99, Ecomodo
£1.00 from every purchase goes to The Bumblebee Conservation Trust, so investing in this beautiful necklace goes that little bit further.
18kt Gold Vermeil PSTM Afghanistan Armaan lapis earrings: £270.00, Pippa Small
Hand cut Lapis Lazuli gems set in gold plated silver settings by the men and women artisans of the Turquoise Mountain Foundation in Kabul. Training and employing young people in meaningful creative jobs is vitally important now in Afghanistan when the young desperately need hope and a sense of purpose in a beautiful country tragically caught up in violence and conflict.
1.08 carat pear Skydiamond: £8,301.92, SkyDiamond
Each carat of mined diamond has a footprint of over 100kg of carbon dioxide and over 500kg of greenhouse gases in total. In contrast, a one-carat Skydiamond has a footprint of minus 4g of CO₂.We take rain water and split it into oxygen and hydrogen using electrolysis – powered by the wind and sun of course. We then combine these gases to create methane, which we feed into our Diamond Mills.

shop ethical sustainable jewellery

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