At this time of year, we’re constantly on the lookout for ways to enhance our outdoor living experience and create a relaxing space to spend time with friends and family.
The best modern garden ideas combine style with function, but there's a new garden trend on the scene that's been inspiring outdoor spaces across the UK.
Searches for pub garden ideas have risen by 52% in recent weeks, and when I spoke to award-winning interior designer Anouska Lancaster, she was all about bringing this trend to life at home.
Anouska, who recently renovated Amanda Holden's home, partnered with SharkNinja after new research revealed a third of the nation would host more get-togethers if they had a nicer garden. Luckily, Anouska has plenty of tips to help you transform your garden into a hosting haven this summer.
'For me, it's all about creating social areas – not just a dining area to eat, but other areas where you can just sit back and chat, lounge and relax,' Anouska said.
Here are Anouska's top tips for creating that pub garden feeling at home.
1. Cook outdoors
Alfresco dining is all the buzz at the moment, and the list of outdoor kitchen ideas just keeps growing. To cut eating-out costs and support local businesses, Anouska has been recreating that pub feel in her own garden.
'When you go to the pub it's all about the food, isn't it?' Anouska said. 'We've got some great pubs near us, but we're a family of six and I've got four teenagers, so it's really expensive to go out and eat.'
With the best BBQs and the best pizza ovens on-side, though, you can cook up a storm in your very own garden.
'Having the Ninja Woodfire Pro Connect XL in the garden is brilliant because you can create that pub food, that quality,' said Anouska. 'You can offer an incredible menu to your guests, and it's great to be able to do that at home at an affordable price, buying from local butchers and farm shops. I'm a massive supporter of local businesses because I think it's important to keep it local.'
Outdoor kitchen appliances can even make centrepieces in their own right. 'For me, it's all about interior design, and the Ninja is a real design element of the garden. It's a beautiful product – the garden comes together around it, and it's really easy to set up.'
2. Go big with furniture
If you want to make the most of a pub garden-style setting at home, you'll need to consider which garden furniture ideas will encourage guests to make the most of the space.
'Go big with your furniture if you can,' Anouska suggested. 'I take any opportunity to get as many family and friends together as possible, and to do that, you need a lot of comfy seating.
'I like making a low-level seating area because what I find tends to happen is that everyone goes inside once they've eaten together outdoors. If you have a low-level seating area, it creates a living room feel, and people will just stay out there all day.'
You can add various other accessories to get that outdoor living room feel, too. 'I try to tie the lounge area in with the dining table area so that it feels like one big space, matching lighting, rugs and throws with the colour scheme so it's all themed,' Anouska added.
3. Enhance with lighting
Selecting the right garden lighting ideas can add ambience to an outdoor space after dusk, and Anouska thinks it's a great way to make the most of a pub garden at home.
'Creative lighting can transform your garden and maximise its potential as an extra space to enjoy in the evening,' Anouska said. 'Festoon lighting looks good all year round, giving you a gorgeous warm atmosphere that's really ambient. This year, people have been zigzagging them over gazebos, and I think it gives a lovely relaxed festival vibe. Also, they give off enough light to make it functional.
'You could pin them along a fence to light up your garden, or you could hang them along your dining table or cooking appliances so you can see what you're eating and cooking.
'I also love candlelight for table scaping – it's beautiful. If you don't want the wind to blow out your candles, battery-operated tealights are a great option. I noticed this year that rechargeable lamps are gorgeous on the table, too.'
4. Invest in an outdoor fan
Although hot summer days are the perfect time to enjoy a pub garden, sometimes the heat can curb the time we get to spend under the sun, especially during heatwaves.
'So often, you get so hot outside that you just end up going in and out continuously,' Anouska said. 'The Shark FlexBreeze Portable Fan has been a real game-changer. Just creating that breeze outside means you can enjoy your garden and spend so much more time out there.'
Outdoor fans are also a great option for pet owners. 'My dog, Stanley, loves it – he'll be in front of it all day when the weather is hot. It's lovely that your animals can come outside and enjoy the garden as well.'
5. Give tablescaping a go
Although pub gardens are usually a casual social setting, Anouska enjoys enhancing the dining experience by tablescaping, so I asked her for some tips.
'For me, it's all about colour,' she said. 'If you have seen my Instagram, everything is really colourful, so I would say pick two or three colours that you really like and then theme everything around those. If you’ve chosen an accent colour for your summer garden, incorporate this into your tablescaping.
'Don’t be scared to go large with your accessories, even in a small space. To go the extra mile, decorate the table with placemats, napkins, lanterns and, if possible, fresh flowers in various jugs.'
The brilliant part about tablescaping is that it can be easily tailored to match the changing seasons. 'You don't have to change the whole thing – you could just opt swap one of the colours out. For example, in autumn, you could put an orange tone in there, and in Easter, I would put in a yellow because I love pastel colours in the spring.'
Anouska's tips for creating a pub garden at home are a lesson in how we can combine style and functionality to create a haven for socialisation. I loved seeing how Anouska's walled garden area came to life with these tips, and I can't wait to start trying them out in my own garden.
