Small Space Summer Garden Inspiration At Granit
With the longer days here to stay a while and an abundance of plants to choose from, now is the perfect time to explore small space summer garden inspiration from Swedish store Granit.I'm a huge fan of Granit, a brand established by two friends back in 1996 who wanted to simplify their lives through a minimalist approach to functional homeware. You'll find baskets and crates, monochrome pots, furniture and finishing touches and with a focus on sustainable design in neutral colours.The SS18 lookbook is giving me hazy summer garden vibes and makes me want to take our sunroom to the next level. The vibrant greens in the plants do the talking in simple black and white concrete pots and there are lush hideaways in small corners...
A Balcony Oasis
Do you have a balcony? Well then I'm jealous. Proving that a lack of space doesn't mean you can't enjoy a garden, plants can be displayed on tiered trolleys and narrow benches. Find furniture with small footprints to raise up your pots. Choose tall, narrow plants for their height; ideal for balconies, potted up and placed into woven baskets for textural contrast. If you have a small section of wall, think about wall mounting planters or attaching a piece of metal gridding for a climber to make the most of.
Every Space Is A Garden Opportunity
If you don't have access to an outdoor garden or sturdy windowsill then look at what you have indoors. Find an area that receives good light and use this as your starting point. Think about levels - attach trailing hanging plants from the ceiling or an existing curtain rail if you don't trust your DIY skills. Don't be afraid of large-scale plants. Despite it being a small space, taller plants will actually make it feel bigger because they make use of the height of the room rather than width. A bamboo is ideal with narrow leaves and structural stems, as is a rubber tree or fiddle leaf fig if you're a dab hand with temperamental varieties. Utilise low-level stools for large single pots and shelves to display a selection.
Kitchen Garden
You can easily grow herbs from pots on a kitchen windowsill. Not only do they soften up the room but they're incredibly handy to have to hand and pinch off what you need as you cook. Some are easier to look after than others, but the Mediterranean varieties need very little attention to be happy. If there's a little more room, you could even try growing tomatoes. You will need to support the vines as they grow taller, but I have managed one or two plants from a medium-sized pot in a corner of the kitchen before.
Bring Summer Garden Style Indoors
Bring summer garden style into your home with natural accessories. Woven seagrass mats feel great underfoot and raw, slubby linen cushions give a relaxed feel. I love Granit's earthy, spicy palette of linens and their bamboo daybed, spot on for lazy afternoon lounging with a good read.
Don't forget the dining table too. If you've space to, a single branch of olive or apple blossom looks great in a large glass vase, as do small pots and vases with little posies. Wreaths are popular all year round, hung nonchalantly from a chair back (as below) or hung on the wall. Try making your own from foraged branches and summer blooms and if we're walking scale, the bigger the better if you ask me.
So now I've planted a few seeds for summer garden inspiration, it's your turn to put them into practice! One last tip from me? If in doubt, CRAM IT IN. I want to feel enveloped and cocooned by my garden, don't be afraid to layer up your canopy! And I'm sorry if my introduction to Granit will cause your bank account distress, particularly when I tell you that they ship to the EU...and for now that still includes us in the UK. Uh ohhh...