Today is a good day. Why? Because today kicks off the #UKHomeBlogHop where 27 different UK bloggers are sharing their summer style with you with little ol’ me as the host. At the end of this post, I’ll be encouraging you to ‘hop’ to the next blog on the list (there are between 5-6 going live every day this week!) so you’ll be gaining loads of summer inspiration both inside and out! As for me, I’mΒ finally ready to share our back garden spruce up!
For those visiting who don’t know me, I’m Kimberly *waves* and I live with my partner, Wayne, a pup and two kitties in a 3 bedroom Edwardian semi-detached house just outside of Manchester. I’m an American ex-pat and he’s a native Mancunian. We’ve spent the last 7 years creating a home we love in my quintessential eclectic boho glam style and this extends out to our small garden. Welcome welcome! If you want to check out the inside of our home, you can see the House Tour here or learn more about me here.
While we’d done a lot of work over the years to bring the garden up to standard, there were still a few niggling things left to cross off our list. Last year, we erected a pergola at the back of the garden which I loved but I’d always wanted to make it into a little jungle oasis and this summer, I have finally been able to do that!
I have to start this post by giving huge thanks to West Elm who supplied me with a number of products from their gorgeous range to help me out with this project and I’m so grateful to be working with such a fantastic brand because I genuinely love their stuff! *insert heart-eyed emojis here*
Adding the fabulous Soleil metal plant screen has totally transformed it, creating a real stand out feature in the space. I filled it with both flowers and herbs, allowing us to simply pluck a few leaves when BBQing here. I love the strong geometric lines of the piece and how they play off the lines of the pergola.
The comfy egg chairs were purchased last yearΒ and I just accented them with a mix of cushions. The whole space is filled with partial-sun-loving-plants as this spot is a wonderfully cool oasis in the mid-afternoon sun (necessary after last week’s scorching heat!). What you might not realise is that the big palm at the side – added to create more height behind the chairs and balance the plant stand – is actually fake! Hard to tell, right?! It’s from the lovely ladies at MiaFleur and because essentially, it’s plastic, it can be outdoors no problem.
The little Moroccan table purchased a couple of years ago adds a touch of gold and boho styling and those pretty white ceramic lanterns are from West Elm.
You can see how I made the bamboo style solar lights here. I love a bit of natural texture in a garden setting which is picked up again in the hanging planters and in the woven seats, all adding a bit of boho glam to this spot.
On the opposite side of the garden, nearer the house, I painted the decking black to match the pergola and fence at the end of the garden. I love using darker colours in garden design and everything just pops against it. The black and white outdoor rugs are available from Wayfair.Β I have had them since last year and they’ve held up amazingly well! You only need to hose them down and they clean up so easily!
Of course, the star of the show now is that insanely comfortable outdoor Portside sofa from West Elm. It’s easily the nicest piece of outdoor furniture I’ve ever owned and it’s utterly sublime to sit or lounge in the garden. Needless to say, it’s gotten an incredible amount of use the past week as temperatures have made it easy to sit out until the late evening. I can’t express just how much we love this sofa – super comfy as well as durable and it looks gorgeously stylish too. I predict it’s going to get a LOT of use this summer if the weather cooperates!
The beautiful cushions are also from West Elm and they add a gorgeous touch of glamour and extra comfort to the sofa. I adore the colours – those peachy shades I talked about in my post here and a gorgeous natural pattern reminiscent of desert landscapes. They are velvet, however, so they are only out in nice weather!
Aside the sofa is another gorgeous piece from West Elm. This is the Mosaic Coffee table with an Isometric Concrete top and I adore the gorgeous pattern. It’s a really incredibly well-made piece and works perfectly with the Portside sofa with the weathered grey legs.
I feel a little bad that it’s been relegated to the corner but it’s such a good size that I didn’t really have the space to put it anywhere else on my little deck – it does work perfectly here, however, for setting down a drink or a little snack. I’ve also gathered a bunch of potted plants on top to add some greenery to this little corner.
For the rest of the decking, our existing dining table and chairs are the perfect spot for a little alfresco dining but for today’s post, I’ve styled it up for a lovely afternoon of drinks and snacks in the sun (which were thoroughly enjoyed!).
You can see in both the image above and below that I used a piece of trellis painted in the same colour as the decking and attached to our fence to hide our bins behind (more on that here)! I think it’s been really effective to visually separate the side return from the rest of the garden and it means I’m not staring at a bunch of ugly bins when we’re sat under the pergola!
The table setting is casual and included is this beautiful gold and black plant pot and gold tray from Sweetpea & Willow, a cute little brass ‘cheers’ word object and pretty peachy pink glasses from West Elm.
A few cheeky bevvies are always in order when it’s warm in the garden and I adore the pineapple brass cocktail tumblers that Wayne bought me as a gift – they make whatever you’re drinking feel fancy! Ha! I know I’ll get questions where they are from but you can find them onΒ 31 Dover.
Speaking of cocktails, I set up my little table as a bit of a bar area, pulling in the peachy pink colours with a piece of fabric from Earthed layered under a pretty fringed teatowel I purchased in the Christmas sales last year. Whenever you are styling or entertaining, I would always encourage you to use what you have around!
Those gorgeous brass planters are another find from West Elm and I fear they are almost too pretty to leave outdoors! I’ll probably bring them in as soon as the weather turns again because they are just so stunning!
So I think that’s everything for now! We are getting just so much use out of the garden and it’s finally at a point where I am really quite happy with it. Huge thanks to West Elm for sponsoring this project. They are genuinely one of my favourite websites for really on-trend homewares.
I also want to give a little shout-out to a few other companies who sponsored the #UKHomeBlogHop this time around.Β Big thanks to Wayfair, Sweetpea & Willow and Johnstone’s Paint for helping out all the bloggers on our hop today – your support has been so appreciated!
And now, it’s time to hop to the next blog on our hop – the lovely Victoria of Apartment No. 4Β is next who has the most gorgeous feminine style! Go check that out to continue the hop! In the meantime,Β what do you think of my garden spruce up? Have you updated your garden for summer? I’d love to hear from you in the comments!
Be sure to check out the hashtag #UKHomeBlogHopΒ on social media! New blog posts and loads of inspiration for your own summer style go live all week!Β Please note, all links will go live on the days listed this week.Β
Monday
Swoon WorthyΒ (that’s me!!)
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Well I Guess This is Growing Up
Disclaimer: I received items for free in exchange for my review from West Elm, Sweetpea and Willow and MiaFleur. As always, all images, words and opinions are my very own. I only work with companies I really love and think you’ll like too! Thanks for supporting the businesses that support Swoon Worthy!
Kimberly!!! This is stunning. Truly stunning. The whole garden looks amazing. And all your little touches are just beautiful. You’re so, so clever x
Just so beautiful Kimberly – you’re so clever! And I now NEED that amazing West Elm outdoor sofa for my new London house. And to come round yours and sit in your gorgeous garden and drink ALL the drinks…
Hooray for the summer blog hop – I’m excited about publishing mine on Wednesday!
Emily xx
Oh I do love a great looking outdoors space and this plant holder you added is SUCH a great value for the impact that it gives back! Great find Kimberly! It’s all working together so well.
What an incredible space Kimberly – I love the mix of colour, pattern and texture that layers up wonderfully without being too overpowering, to create an extension of your eclectic boho glam style out into the garden and add an additional room to your home. How lucky that we’ve had such wonderful weather recently as well and you’ve been able to enjoy it – long may it continue!
So much goodness! I love your set up. It looks very inviting. Thanks for sharing.
That is the most perfect party-ready garden! So so beautiful! Fingers crossed for a good summer so you can make the most of all this gorgeousness!
It looks gorgeous – you’ve made the perfect summer garden. Here’s hoping we get lots of sunshine this year, so you can make the most of it!
It’s all so glamorous Kimberly. Absolutely love it all. Thanks so much for organising this blog hop. It was fun to do and I’m having so much fun reading all the other posts. xx
Love the pineapple boxes turned into glasses with the fronds for support. Inspired!!
A beautiful looking garden! I love the idea of a glam garden that’s perfect for lunch parties and cocktails! :) Philippa x
Love, love, love your super glam and fun outdoor space! When’s the cocktail party? I promise I’ll try not to spill anything on that fab new sofa! Xx
It’s coming into it’s own glory now, and all the hard work you both have put into it is now paying off xxx
That corner with the sofa looks incredible, and you really made the most of your garden. I’m in love with the Portside sofa. The only thing stopping me is the weather here in Cardiff (officially the UK’s rainiest city). I just see myself putting the cushions in and out on a daily basis!
I know I’ve already said this but WHAT A POST!! Absolutely stunning styling and photography, easily one of my favourite posts ever. Such a gorgeous colour palette and interesting finishes. I just love, love, love this idea for outdoor styling!!
Vic xx
http://www.apartmentnumber4.com
Wow! This is so stunning. That sofa!!! Can’t believe that is an outdoor piece of furniture. Beautiful photos as always, just perfection!
Fabulous! I love everything!
Fantastic first blog post to read in the bloghop! It all looks amazing, and so well styled. I can just imagine sitting outside enjoying the sunshine out there.
I absolutely love the screen with the plant pots, it’s a really striking piece and might be worth me looking at for to hide the huge expanse of fence on my garden. I also need to invest in an outdoor rug after losing a fork between decking slats yesterday! Lovely photos as always and thanks for the blog hop again!
It’s such a gorgeous space and I love all the West Elm goodies, especially that sofa!
Wow what an absolutely amazing space you have created. It’s just so glamorous and so you. There are some really great pieces from West Elm. I love the sofa and that plant stand. I bet your neighbours are so jealous of your beautiful Boho garden. Fingers crossed for an amazing summer so you can really get some use of it.
Kimberly …Very very chic, and tres tres glam!
This makes me want want to come over and party with you
superb blog hop too congrats
best wishes
Ashley xx
Wow Kimberly, I love it, such a cool space, I love the layers of interest and that plant screen from West Elm is completely brilliant. Beautiful, beautiful space x
Oh my, can I come and move in?? It looks amazing and so so stylish. I feel inspired already and it’s only the first post!! X
Just so lovely…I am so excited about blog hop and taking part you are such a star for pulling this together
I love it Kim! Stunning styling and photos. Those pieces from West Elm are ππΌ Long may the sun continue! xx
What a feast for the eyes – you have no idea how long I’ve spent admiring all these beautiful details. Such a gorgeous outdoor space. Thank you so much for organising the blog hop. You are a STAR! xx
That plant stand is killing me right now! Oh how I wish even had outside space! I’d buy it in a shot! And probably paint half of it!
I’m trying to catch up on blog reading today and this really stopped me in my tracks. It’s so beautiful and inviting and you are so so super good at styling. Love all the accessories
Wow Kimberly. You knocked it out of the park with this one. I love that you’ve managed to bring your signature style outdoors. It’s quintessentially swoon worthy, with the outstandingly good styling and photography we’ve come to love so much. I’m so excited to be joining the blog hop. Sooo much fun xx
Oh I love that planter screen! It looks fabulous Kimberley and thanks so much for organising us all this week!
Such a beautiful garden Kimberley! And perfect timing with the weather here :)
Huge thanks for pulling us all together for the hop! I’m in love with that West Elm plant diverse/wall thingy!
The glamour, I can’t stand it! Argh, you’re so, so glam, you make my home look like a student dig, haha! This is absolutely gorgeous and I envy you all those sunny afternoons you’ll be spending in your garden ;-) xo
I’m totally in love with you garden oasis! What a beautiful display of plants, furniture and accessories, all styled so beautifully. Amazing plant stand, I like how that and the faux palm give the space some structure and height. That sofa would look lovely indoors or out! Perfect summer style right there, my lovely xxx
That sofa Kimberley! OMG what a gorgeous area to relax in. Off to check out the sofa and that plants stand right now!
Absolutely gorgeous Kimberly! Especially love the planter screen. I’ve got a few concrete walls myself that would benefit from something this nice in front of it. Amazing work on the blog hop hun. So thrilled to be included <3 xxx
Thank you so much for hosting this blog hop. it’s been a joy to be a part of. I’m desperate for garden inspo for my small space – and am so going to get an outdoor rug – what a fab idea.
Wow! What a great garden reveal. I particularly love the outdoor rug (genius idea I didn’t even know these existed till recently), the stunning sofa & that West Elm planter!! It all looks great, I bet you can’t wait for some sunshine to make the most of it.
Thanks for kicking off another great blog hop this year, I missed it all last week so I’m sat with a coffee & working my way through the hop from the start this morning. Excited for endless inspiration/ this year’s reveals…let the drooling over interiors commence!
Loving the inspiration behind this summer garden. I think of the use of interior household products is a master stroke and is something being used now more than ever.