This week we take inspiration from the wonderful interior writer Malmö & Moss, as she answers our questions about dressing a garden that doesn’t (yet) belong to your forever home plans, and keeping the outdoor style, and the kids happy this summer!
“With everything so up in the air it has been good just to press pause and not rush into anything”
We are making the best use of our homes after being confined to them in lockdown, tell us more about your plans to open up your home?
We bought this house because it is much wider than our old house and it offered the potential to open up the space available to us inside by knocking three rooms into one. I have always dreamed about having a big open-plan family kitchen/diner.
I imagine that you were thankful the work had not started when the lockdown happened?
Yes, for sure! I don't think I would have fancied having to cook every meal in lockdown on a camping stove if the builders had been halfway through the kitchen revamp at the time! With everything so up in the air it has been good just to press pause and not rush into anything. Although now things are getting back to normal, I am itching to get started!
Have you made changes to the garden to make it more Malmö as an interim fix?
Yes! The available space outside was another big attraction of this house. The garden is wider and longer and private, and it has been a godsend during the lockdown. We have felt very lucky to have a green space of our own.
What are your garden plans once the Scandi look of the extension is in place?
The extension and renovation will say goodbye to the current pebble dash exterior (hallelujah!). The look that we’re going for is a modern Scandinavian Farmhouse - with crittal doors and wood timber cladding. Once the extension is in place, I am hoping to mirror the materials we use for the renovation of the garden. The timber cladding will be echoed with modern cedar-style fencing and the polished concrete floor I hope will be echoed by contemporary concrete style planters and seating areas. We will probably extend the existing patio area so that we have room to have an outdoor dining table and chairs that can become an extension of the kitchen in the summer months.
Are there key pieces that will effortlessly create your relaxed Scandi look outside?
I would treat your garden as an extension of your home and continue to use similar materials and colours to those you use indoors. Comfortable, contemporary seating is a must whether it is something more casual/relaxed like the bean bags I have or a more formal lounge set.
There are great outdoor corner sofa options from Cox & Cox which we would love to invest in in the long term. Lighting is also an important part of creating a hygge feeling outside on long Summer nights. Strings of festoon lights, candle lanterns, and solar lighting are all great options.
How do you combine stylish, relaxed garden style with outdoor family life?
With three boys on the loose, I have learnt to be more relaxed when it comes to my garden expectations! The most important thing is that they enjoy using the space and so we have football goals, cricket sets, and bikes out a lot of the time. But we also have a shed that they can be stowed away in at the end of the day so that I can then make it feel like more of a relaxed adult space with lighting, cosy blankets, cushions, etc in the seating areas. The bean bags we have are indoor/outdoor so they will be getting lots of use, they can easily be moved around the garden so you can set up a seating area in lots of different places. They will be a long-term part of my garden vision and they can be used inside too.
Do you set out the outdoor space for the day, or does that have to wait until the children hand back the garden?
Wait until the end of the day! With spending much more time at home I have been focusing on how we can find ways to use it to keep us entertained and have always loved the idea of having an outdoor home cinema. The projector is super easy to set up, the screen we have is 120 inch but packs away into a small bag. For the projector itself, you just need something to sit it on and a power extension cable that can reach long enough if you don't have an outdoor power source. The key to a good picture is making sure it is dark enough outside! We just plug it into a laptop and away you go. I love getting the kids to bed and then once the sun has set lighting all the candles, putting the festoon lights on and settling down on a comfy bean bag with a cosy blanket to watch a film.
Do you have any fun summer holiday tips from the Malmö database?
Don’t put too much pressure on yourself to do things perfectly! Nine times out of ten they are just as happy running around outside with a ball as they would be doing a complicated craft activity! If you are London based two of my fave coastal day trips are Leigh on Sea in Essex and Whitstable in Kent. Both have loads of charm, great ice cream shops, and won’t cost the earth to get to.
Looking for more inspiration? Discover our collaboration with Malmö & Moss on her blog or browse her Instagram feed for more of her Rustic Scandinavian style.
Photography: @malmo_and_moss