Garden inspiration: 10 ideas for a garden where you can unwind

Your garden is often the place where you sit the least. There is work to do, the weather is unreliable, and a bare patio doesn't invite you to stay. Yet it doesn't have to cost much to turn your garden into a place you want to head to at the end of the day. Below are ten ideas, from small and cheap to a real change. You don't need to do all ten. One or two is enough to start using your garden differently.

1. A proper seat with a backrest

Many gardens have a table but nowhere to really sit. A lounge corner or a bench with cushions against the fence works better than loose chairs. Put it where the evening sun still reaches, not where there happened to be a free spot.

2. A fire spot

A fire bowl or fire table turns a cool evening into a reason to stay outside. Pick a spot at a safe distance from fence, hedge and any cover, and check what your local council allows. Add a few chairs around it and your garden has a centre.

3. A sauna in the garden

This is the idea that changes the most. A sauna makes your garden a place you use in winter too. A fixed outdoor sauna is a big project with a foundation and often a permit. A sauna tent is the other extreme: a wood-fired sauna you set up in about 5 minutes. The MOOSSE sauna tent is 180 by 180 by 200 cm, weighs 14 kg and fits 2 to 5 people. Inside it gets up to 100 °C. You put it up when you want to use it and fold it away afterwards, so your garden stays a garden.

Wondering whether you can simply put it up? Read what the rules are for a sauna in the garden. And if you are torn between a tent and a fixed sauna, have a look at the comparison with a barrel sauna.

4. A way to cool down

A sauna needs a counterpart. An outdoor shower against the fence, a big tub of cold water or a plain garden hose will do. Cold water after the heat completes the whole ritual. You can read more in our guide to cooling down after the sauna.

5. A hammock or hanging chair

For little money, the quickest way to use your garden differently. A hammock needs two sturdy anchor points at the right distance apart, a hanging chair just one. People who own one sit in it more often than they expected.

6. Water in the garden

You don't need a pond. A small water feature, a bird bath or a large pot with a little fountain adds sound and attracts birds and dragonflies. The sound of water also makes a small garden calmer, because it covers street and neighbour noise.

7. A canopy or pergola

With a roof above your seat you can sit outside in a shower too. A pergola with climbers such as wisteria, clematis or grape gives shade in summer and lets the light through in winter. A light cloth works if you don't want to build something fixed.

8. Plants you can smell

When choosing plants, think about scent as well. Lavender, rosemary, mint and jasmine smell lovely as you walk past or sit next to them. A few pots of herbs by your seat is enough. You can use them in the kitchen too.

9. Light for the evening

A garden without light ends at sunset. A few string lights, a solar lamp along the path and some candles or lanterns are enough. Keep it warm in colour and low. Bright lamps up high turn your garden into a car park.

10. A table you stay at for a long time

A garden table that seats eight, even if there are usually just two of you. You then invite people over sooner. The table is the reason a garden becomes an evening place.

A small garden?

Everything above works in a small garden too, if you choose. Pick one place to sit, one thing that sets the mood (fire, water or sauna) and leave out the rest. A small garden with one clear spot feels bigger than a large garden with a bit of everything.

Where do you start?

Start with the question of what you miss right now. If you want to stay outside in the evening, begin with light and a fire spot. If you want to use the garden in winter too, begin with a sauna. If you mainly want to unwind, begin with a seat with a backrest.

Want to see what a sauna tent is like? Have a look at the MOOSSE sauna tent.