Styling your garden with our Creative Director

Paint is the perfect way to transform an outdoor space quickly and easily. Even a simple update such as refreshing existing garden furniture or painting an exterior wall can add real personality and extend your living area outdoors. Gain inspiring ideas from our Creative Director, Ruth Mottershead, on how to revamp your outdoor space this summer…

One of the main considerations is how you want colour and nature to interact in your garden and where the focus will lie. If you would like bold blooms to remain the focal point, select a pale green like Boxington or Oak Apple to create a natural backdrop for planting. Alternatively, pair verdant greenery with a colour highlight, inspired by the Mediterranean. “To add vibrancy, Smalt looks fantastic paired with green foliage and terracotta pots, or you might update a tired brick wall with Ashes of Roses – a fantastic colour for adding a warm Mediterranean feel to any exterior.”

If you want to incorporate a vibrant shade, but painting a large expanse feels a little overwhelming: “Garden furniture, pots and planters provide the perfect opportunity to go bold and add an element of fun to your exterior; a pop of bright sunshine yellow will look fabulous to create a statement and add a contrast to greenery.”

When choosing colour, consider the architecture and period of the property. Ruth advises, “Bath Stone or Stone Pale Warm are great options for Victorian properties as they were matched to examples of original stone used to paint the facades of London town houses. For a Regency property, consider the classic yellow Carys which brings an element of joy to a property’s exterior.”

As well as colour, finish is key to ensure durability in exterior decorating projects. One of Ruth’s top choices is Intelligent Exterior Eggshell: “This is a fantastic practical choice; it’s weather resistant – so ideal for the British climate! It is extremely durable, water-based, low VOC and virtually odourless. The self-priming formulation means it can be applied straight on to new and bare wood, as well as suitably primed metalwork. It’s available in the full Little Greene palette, so you can use your most-loved colours on the outside of your home too.”

Explore our full range of exterior finishes.

Browse our image gallery for more exterior inspiration.