Alfresco dining

Creating a beautiful setting for alfresco dining has never felt so important.

Fortunately we have always loved to include designated sociable spaces in our garden designs. Here are some of our key considerations for extending living and entertaining outdoors.

This beautiful Muswell Hill garden design has recently been featured in Gardening Etc in an article about how best to design sloping gardens.

In gardens with a steep gradient, creating distinct areas where guests are encouraged to eat; relax and mingle; and to journey down into the ‘wilder’ planted area below, makes full use of a tiered or split-level design.

A curved, raised planter encircles the patio dining area in the Muswell Hill garden above. Here, natural limestone lends a warmth to outdoor dining and mirrors the flooring of the house beyond, extending the living space. The curving shape is complimented by a circular table and chairs, and soft low-level lighting. Below, hardwood decking marks a transition into another sociable area, with an underlit floating hardwood bench enclosed by raised planting, providing the perfect space where family and friends can relax and unwind while the table is set for dinner.

The Canonbury garden design in Islington above uses soft furnishings in bold colours to compliment the painted rendering and colourful planting.

Decking can also provide a warm, natural surface for your outdoor furniture, creating a subtle contrast in texture which enhances the different zones in your outdoor space. In the Canonbury garden above, a dining area of hardwood decking overlooks the sociable L-shaped seating, which is flanked by perennial and evergreen planting, with striking limestone edging and a soft lawn underfoot.

An under-lit glass floor section creates an illuminated focal point seating area in this West Hampstead, North London garden design.

We will always consider the journey of the sun throughout the day and year to ensure that spaces for relaxing and entertaining are ideally situated. It is not only in larger gardens with designated areas to dine, lounge and mingle in that this can be achieved. Carefully selecting scaled, attractive garden furniture, and positioning these in dedicated areas can allow you to follow the sun in smaller gardens, enjoying, for example, breakfast close to the house in the morning, and an evening meal in the far end of the garden at the close of day.

Positioning a small set of dining furniture at either end of this intimate, walled garden design in Islington enhances the garden journey and captures the sun’s warmth at different hours.

A view of the same garden looking down through a stepping stone path to the house and additional seating area.

Bringing the food preparation outside with an outdoor kitchen can make great use of an otherwise awkward space, transforming shaded areas into a sociable, contemporary congregation point. Locating these near to the house can be extremely practical, helping you to whisk prepared food out and used dishes away. We also love to include herbs near to the kitchen to give convenient access to useful and beautiful plants.

Incorporating a conveniently situated BBQ,, this small garden design in Islington is centred around a fireplace built into the rendered and painted rear wall. French doors open out onto the first level, with access to storage on the left. To the right is a low planter with three Italian Cypresses (Cupressus sempervirens) at varying heights. Rosemary, lavender, sage and a tapestry of thyme are within easy reach for cooking.

As we were quoted saying in this press feature, even when unlit, fire features give the impression of warmth and make your garden feel like a welcoming, modern space. Whether you opt for a fire bowl, fireplace or chiminea, they invite relaxation and congregation. Of course, additional heaters can always be included for added comfort on chilly evenings.

This Highgate garden design in North London, includes a dining table and soft seating on a hardwood deck, overlooking a central fire feature that is just as inviting to gather around unlit in the day time as when it glows at night. Once again, the use of different materials for the flooring helps to distinguish the different outdoor zones, building a textured journey.

Of course we all love to make the most of the sunshine, but choosing furniture with an appropriate parasol and positioning these in a sheltered space will ensure a comfortable outdoor dining experience for all seasons.

Structural planting shelters this inviting seating area from the verdant foliage beyond.