I often take home interior inspiration from all over. From Pinterest, magazines such as Home & Design and ELLE Decor, online gurus and sometimes the TV. Over the Summer, (which in hindsight I should have begun in Spring) I have renovated my garden with a huge garden makeover. With two obscure inspirations; Ocean Beach Ibiza and Love Island.

Crazy I know. Just go with my logic here. Ocean Beach is one of the world’s most glamorous day clubs and so aesthetically pleasing. With round beds, a tonne of white pained walls and vibrant popping Ocean Beach Orange it is a party-goers paradise. The Love Island Villa where we all fell in love with Dani Dyer & Jack Fincham this Summer similarly to Ocean Beach looked slick and sophisticated. With day beds, luxe decking and that all-important fire pit of doom.

So if you could all gather around the fire pit immediately I’m going to show you how we changed an ugly, lifeless area into a party haven.

Small beginnings

My garden is a decent size and with having previously had an awful patio with seating at the back. Borders down the side and patchy grass in the centre it was well in need of a bit of attention.

Drawing inspiration from the two main ideas we decided that we were going to build decking. Wondering if hiring somebody to do it or building decking from scratch was easy enough I decided to watch a few YouTube videos. After 10 minutes I headed down to our local B&Q where I purchased wood, screws, an electric screwdriver and a few decking boards initially. Building a solid frame I levelled it out and then added decking boards. It was a labour of love as the area is quite expansive.

Tip; do work out the price of things individually as opposed to per pack. B&Q (as well as other retailers) have a habit of charging more per pack. Odd.

No tumbleweed

We lifted the dead grass, put down weed killer, and left for a couple of days. Then we levelled the area with sand and then put the membrane down. Before laying artificial grass, which we bought 2 offcuts from Franks Factory Flooring as this was less expensive than buying from the roll.

Having taken the decision to splurge on the most expensive membrane, we were looking to create a low maintenance outdoor space for entertaining. We placed this under virtually the entire space. Including decking, grass and side borders to ensure that no weeds would be able to get through, keeping maintenance to a minimum.

For the side borders, we use spa white chips and kept them very minimal, making use of our existing water feature we placed 3 leafy greens on each side border. These were more grey tones and varied in size and height. We cut holes in the membrane to plant these and covered in chips.

Related Read;

• 5 Ideas To Turn Your Garden Into an Exclusive Playground
• How to Keep Your Decking in Great Condition
• How To Easily Upcycle Pallet Garden Seating

Out with the old in with the Zen

With a hatred towards ancient yellow paving slabs at the conservatory and kitchen doors, we lifted these and replaced with grey rough slabs to pull together the zen-like space.

Finally, whilst chopping down the ivy on one side border to clear the garden we discovered the weight of the ivy had pulled the fence down. This was rotten and had to go. We had the fence replaced to match the rest of the fencing and finished off by painting the decking and fencing in Ronseal’s Dark Oak. We did ensure everywhere had a couple of coats to ensure a rich, dark colour which emulated the luxe look we intended.

To finish the whole look we dressed the space with essentials. Firstly remember how we told you to gather around the fire pit immediately we didn’t mean just any fire pit we meant our new

Cox & Cox rusty brazier* (£80). This deep pan brazier comes in two parts the dish and the stand which is excellent for post-party storage.

Certainly Wood

Using Certainly Wood’s fire kits* we ensured our fire was fuelled with wood, kindling and fire starters. As we grabbed a glass of champagne and a faux fur blanket (from Sainsbury’s Home section £34) and enjoyed the sun setting over another day.

With plush deep purple scatter cushions on our seating area, our little Jack Russell found himself at home right away snuggled watching the fire from the brazier lick.

We added our BBQ to pull the seating and dining area into one communal area for when we threw parties. Finishing off the decking with our round glass table and 4 chairs. The outdoor area is not perfect until you install a good grill to cook with your family and friends on a warm summer evening

Cox & Cox have a really great range of outdoor products.

Sunny Daze

For days lying on the lawn soaking up the sun, we pull out our Cox & Cox Faux Rattan outdoor table* (£20) to rest our wine on. This handy table is lightweight and so versatile we underestimated just how much we’d use it.

In the top corner where we have a void of empty space by the kitchen window, we’re going to add a swimming egg chair to complete the luxe look.

All we need now is a hot tub ready for the Winter so we can enjoy our transformed Zen space.

Have you renovated your garden? What are your favourite parts?

Disclaimer: The items starred (*) were provided complimentary, all views are our own. Read more about disclosure here.