The Upcycled Garden

This is the last of the garden room sets from this year’s Ideal Home Show, and I’ve saved my favourite until last. And in true me-style, I had quite a good chat with Max McMurdo who was hanging around the garden he created trying to eat his lunch and have a conversation with someone who thought he looked familiar, but thought nothing more of it. Until I actually read the leaflet I picked up and realised who I’d been chatting to over the upcycled pallet.

It is a particularly good use of pallets, and one I wished I’d thought of when in my first house dad and I put up a front fence made of pallets. Just adding an extra plank to keep those pots in, would have added some interest. I was clearly way ahead of my time, although looking back I think I’d have had to nail the pots in as a plant that was on my open porch, which took two people to lift disappeared one day. It’s not actually the sort of thing you can phone the police for is it?

“Yes, hello Officer, yes my five foot money plant, that’s extremely heavy is missing.”

“Where did I leave it? Well on my doorstep, it’s too heavy to move you see.”

But anyway I digress, although that is how and when I got my yucca plant, which is still going strong despite a small accident with MOH falling onto it recently. These doors too reminded me of the “shed-that-dad-built” which I shared on here a couple of years ago. That post is worth a look for the old-fashioned photos alone.

Back to my chat with Max. It was the real Max I got to speak to, not the statuesque one that perched on yet another pallet. Max is a designer and upcycler and has gone “back to his roots” according to the leaflet with this Land Rover inspired garden, reusing ideas from his book “Upcycling Outdoors”. The leaflet goes on to say that upcycling items has “previously been associated with items within the home” but that this garden shows what you can do with your outside space. I’d just like to say, pop back to the post with the “shed-that-dad-built” there was much upcycling going on there, mostly through quirkiness and need, rather than driven by a reuse mantra, but it was the early nineties…

It’s true though that suitcase side tables are more often used indoors, but they do make a lovely planter too.

That old tool trolley isn’t what it seems either - it’s a barbeque of course. And while storage is always important everywhere, so is having a functional and attractive dining area. Some planks laid across a wooden frame have easily sorted that - that’s definitely something to remember and reuse at some point.

You didn’t believe me when I said it was a barbeque did you? Here you go…

It was definitely my favourite garden, and while the planting is quite subtle, it’s there thought, and as we know all good gardens are based on a good structure.

What do you think? For me, there’s memories, inspiration and so many things to see in each and every one of these photos. I’m only sorry there wasn’t more time to enjoy the space and take full advantage of the hospitality laid on!

The Contemporary and Family Fun garden room sets

I’m sharing two of the garden room sets today from this year’s Ideal Home Show. I’ve already shared the Grow Your Own Garden, which means after today there’s just one more to share, and you’d be right to think I’ve saved my favourite garden until last. But before I tell you all about that space and spoil that post, let me share the pictures and info on these two gardens.

I’m sharing them both together so you can see them both, as I’m unlikely to share the Family Fun garden on its own, it’s just not content I usually cover, but it is full of bright colours and colour is quite at home here on my blog, isn’t it?

The Contemporary garden

This garden was sponsored by Gardena, and is an ultra-stylish garden, full of modern planting and design ideas by Charles Benton, one of the Benton Brothers, who you may know from their appearances on ITV’s This Morning.

The space is based around entertaining and making the most of the garden, as well as somewhere to eat there’s somewhere to cook, complete with a barbecue I’m not sure I’d show MOH for fear of it ending up quite high on his wishlist, on size alone.

There’s also somewhere to relax, which was my favourite part of the garden - and it seemed the perfect spot to sit and watch the robotic lawnmower go about its work. There’s other gadgetry in the garden too, including smart watering which is part of the Gardena smart system, which comes complete with its own smart app so you really can garden from your armchair, or sunlounger.

Family Fun garden

This garden room set was sponsored by Flymo and according to the leaflet it’s inspired by children and includes all the fun things they can get up to that will keep them entertained all day, and focuses on the sensory experience. It seemed to be well received, as unusually for a space like this, children were in the garden playing.

It was designed by the Skinny Jean Gardener who’s aka Lee Connelly, best known for his work as the CBBC Blue Peter Gardener. It seems gardening for kids has come a long way since Percy Thrower was the Blue Peter Gardener when I was growing up!

The bright colours, activities and sensory elements were all very much evident, and it shows you can have gardens, or spaces in gardens that are child friendly and stylish.

So two very different gardens, with quite different audiences in mind, but two great spaces. Look out for the final - and my favourite - garden room set next week.

Big Ideas: A vintage bathroom

This is the first of the Big Ideas room sets from the 2019 Ideal Home Show, and I’m sure it’s a first in that I’m posting about the show while it’s still on. it’s amazing what an early-in-the-show visit can do isn’t it?

The Big Ideas to add glamour to a vintage bathroom are:

1. On-trend shades: using pinks and greens to create a Miami vibe

2. Roll-top bath: adding a bespoke finish or a freestanding finish, or both

3. Statement walls: using decorative wallpaper and a panelled effect

It’s quite a statement bathroom isn’t it?

And it’s totally got the Miami vibe. I’m not sure it’s for me, but it was one that was drawing the crowds and encouraging discussion from the strangers viewing it. Most of the comments when I was there was about the size of the roll-top bath. It is quite diddy.

And quite high up.

The conversation I had with four ladies I’ve never met before, centred around how we’d get in, and once in how we’d get out, as well as if it was possible to stretch out and relax in a bath like this. None of us were sure about any of those, although we seemed more convinced about getting in, than getting out. But only with a step ladder, which might spoil the look.

I’m not sure this roll-top bath is for me.

I do like the wallpaper though. Even now I’m trying to work out the pattern, and which birds have their wings up and which have them down. I think the overall effect, along with the pink clouds (?) give the sense of movement and I have to wonder where we’re flying off to.

Remember my trends from the Ideal Home Show? Well one of them was ‘wire furniture’ - well this bathroom, has one I didn’t clock until just now. Like the commenter on my earlier post, I’m not sure about the functional-ness (yes made up word alert) of this kind of furniture. The basket/stool above looks great, but put stuff in it and I’m sure it’s charm evaporates. It’s not ideal for a washing basket now, is it?

And how about that for a radiator and towel rail that’s in keeping with the style of the room? In fact, it’d look great in any kind of room, but what’s your view on this room set, and what about the bath, could you get in and out of it easily?