How to Visualise a Renovation - Outdoor Dining & Office Space

This summer we decided to tackle our rather overgrown jungle of a garden. When we moved in there area outside our back door was home to a patch of gravel and weeds and a rotary washing line - it is also the shadiest part of the garden so not idea for the washing anyway! I optimistically named this are the patio and set about making grand plans for it. I envisioned a dining area where we could have BBQ's and drinks, but also a space I could use to work outdoors. 

Because I wanted a dual function to the space I needed to make sure it would accommodate friends - so lots of seating options and also feel like a welcoming space. On the working from home side, I just needed a table and seating that would be comfortable to sit and work at. To achieve this I went for a concrete topped table and bench with a mix-and-match selection of chairs that could also be stacked and put away when not in use. Keeping the colour palette black and grey gave me the option to choose some colourful chairs that would pop against this monochrome back drop. But with such a fab variety available I mocked-up some visualisations to help me decide which colours and styles worked best. Here are some of the examples I used - as you can see just small changes in colour can make a huge difference to the feel of the space. I will reveal what we did in the next blog.