5 Inspirational Outdoor DIY Tips From The Purple Stylist
Escape to your very own outdoor oasis.
Interior style guru, Aurélien Farjon aka The Purple Stylist, shares his top five incredible DIY outdoor ideas to help you feel Happy at Home...
Create your own Wildlife Station
Gather a selection of birdhouses, insect hotels and bird feeders and attach them at eye level in a sunny position - very important for the insect hotel in particular! A garden arch works perfectly as well as a pergola or wooden canopy, the key thing is to make your wildlife station difficult to access by potential threats like outdoor cats or squirrels.
Try out a variety of bird feeders, such as those that hold seed and target smaller birds or some that hold nuts and attract larger birds such as green parakeets (if you are lucky!).
Add in a ready bought insect hotel or attract all sorts of visitors, including butterflies who love dried fruits.
Jazz-up your Veg Trug
With supermarkets struggling to cope at the moment, there has never been a better time to start or improve our self-sufficiency. Use any bit of space you have, be that a patch of soil or a container or invest in a Veg Trug if you are keen to ‘grow your own’! Spinach and swiss chard are hardy vegetables that will keep going for months, runner beans will climb up trellis and herbs are ideal to use in your everyday cooking. Customise your planting area and paint it a colourful shade to create an eye-catching ‘grow your own’ station, dress it up with colourful garden tools and a cheerful watering can that will bring a smile to your face. Finally, place it strategically so that your crops get plenty of sun, but also so you pull up a chair.... nothing like a cosy reading corner next to those lovely aromatic scents!
Friday Night Garden Cocktails
Everyday feels the same at the moment, so to change things up a bit and make your Friday night extra special with DIY outdoor drinks! Jazz them up with home-grown strawberries or fresh herbs from your garden and find an unused spot which can act as a makeshift bar. If you haven’t got a garden then choose a part of your house that makes you feel serene and pull up a chair by the window... you might just discover a view that you have never noticed before. Cheers!
Sunday Lunch Reinvented
Give your Sunday lunch a twist by cooking a themed meal, such as Mexican or Moroccan, and decorate your table accordingly. Use any patterned fabric you have available as a tablecloth and whatever colourful crockery you may have (no matter how mismatched). Add a few colourful fruits in a bowl in the centre, finish the look with a little potted succulent while you’re at it and arriba! If you haven’t got a garden table, bring your dining table and chairs out in the garden. Let’s celebrate and make the ordinary extraordinary!
Create a ‘Me Time’ Retreat
Create a low-seating area out of found materials like wooden pallets and cover them in fabrics, throws and lots and lots of cushions to make it super comfy for long afternoons. You’ll need them for time spent sipping icy home-made smoothies and reading, or writing, books. Surround with dashes of solar-powered lanterns to create low, after hours lighting, husbands reading this you can thank me later!
Et voila! The Purple Stylist
