Latest Interiors: Summer Nights
Latest Interiors spends the summer evenings outdoors with comfy furnishings, soft lighting and plenty of games
Sultry summer evenings are finally drawing us all outside, onto balconies and patios, into gardens and parks. At this time of year, outside space becomes a working extension of our living area, albeit for all too short a time. This week, Latest Interiors brings you a selection of decorative garden accessories, perfect for magical summer nights.
Lighting up
Light – not too much, just enough – will make your garden twinkle and shine in the twilight. Fairy lights, lanterns and glass votives all help create the right mood. Citronella candles and garden incense will help to keep biting insects away, and scent the evening air too.
Solar-powered fairy lights (that charge by day and glow by night) are eco-friendly, never need batteries or plugs, and work well in the summer. They aren’t as effective in the winter months, though, when the daylight hours are shorter.
Soft and warm
If you’re entertaining outdoors, you’ll need somewhere comfy to gather. Over-sized floor cushions are great for lounging about on. Use throws and blankets to stay warm, or invest in a log-burner or fire-pit.
If you feel the late evening chill, avoid carbon-hungry patio heaters, and put on an extra sweater instead. The great outdoors is perfect for reflection, mediation and daydreaming. Give yourself room to relax, and invest in a hammock, love-seat or swing seat – all best shared with someone you like.
Pretty things
We’re suckers for this season’s butterfly and bird ornaments and sparkly mobiles to hang from branches and fences – anything that will catch the light and twinkle. Old mirrors are great too: on a walled patio, a weathered, well-loved mirror will add light and character. Use vintage-style bunting to brighten up dull walls and fences.
Play outside
It’s not all rest and no play. Summer evenings are perfect for blowing the cobwebs away. Before dusk, a game of rounders (in the park, unless you are blessed with an enormous garden), croquet or Frisbee will help you to work up a thirst. Later on, cards or scrabble by lantern or candlelight can be very romantic. And when you’ve run out of letters, you can always just lie back and gaze at the stars.
