Eight Ways to Refresh Your Outdoor Space
Maximise your existing outdoor space with a scheme that connects seamlessly with the interior of your home. An inviting outside area can extend your living space and create a functional and sociable entertaining space, especially during the warmer months.
You might be looking to create a relaxing retreat, a vibrant outdoor kitchen or a place for little ones to explore the natural world. Using colour, you can design an outdoor area that works for your space.
Discover our inspiring ideas to help you create an outdoor living space that suits your lifestyle.
How to decorate an outdoor space
Paint your gate to create a focal point
Incorporate a highlight of colour and refresh tired woodwork or metalwork for a simple and effective update. Painting your gate is a fantastic way to bring instant personality to your garden space.
Consider using bold shades to add vibrancy and warmth. Contrast the statement shade, Orange Aurora, with neutral walls painted in Hollyhock for an entrance with impact.
Garden Gate: Orange Aurora
Walls: Hollyhock
Table and Plant Pot: Joanna
Refresh your outside walls to complement their surroundings
Coordinate the outside of your home with its natural surroundings for a relaxing space that feels at one with nature. A strong shade, Air Force Blue offers the perfect contrast to natural greenery. For something a little gentler, Celestial Blue is a timeless colour that perfectly complements exposed brickwork.
Not only do they bring beauty to your yard, using our exterior paints is also a practical choice. They provide a weather resistant finish that protects exterior masonry from the elements.
Discover our tips for painting exterior walls.
Back Wall: Air Force Blue
Table: Mister David
Use dark shades for a cosy atmosphere outdoors
In a bright outdoor setting such as a south-facing yard, don't be afraid to use darker, bold tones. They add depth, warmth and richness to your yard as well as creating a secluded spot in the shade.
Obsidian Green provides a strong contrast to natural wood for a contemporary finish that complements foliage.
Walls: Obsidian Green
Create a sociable outdoor kitchen
Extend your kitchen area into the outdoors for a functional, open-air dining space that is perfect for seasonal entertaining. Paint wooden dining furniture in stand-out shades to create small bursts of colour. Here, the chalky and intense Tuscan Red combines beautifully with red brickwork.
Add finishing touches with potted plants and marble detailing to bring your outdoor kitchen to life.
Browse open-air kitchen inspiration.
Back Wall: Tuscan Red
Transform your existing garden furniture
For a smaller exterior project, update outdoor furniture with a fresh coat of paint. Intelligent Exterior Eggshell is a self-priming finish suitable for both woodwork and metalwork, that is available in our complete colour palette. The paint will be surface dry in just 2-4 hours, so you can achieve a perfect finish with minimal time and effort.
Small pieces of furniture are perfect for introducing bold pops of colour. If you’re painting a larger item like a swing bench, choose a deep green such as Harley Green that blends with its natural surroundings and doesn’t disrupt the overall landscape.
Discover our guide to refreshing outdoor furniture.
Swing Seat: Harley Green
Capture the sun with bright yellow exterior woodwork
Add joy, energy and warmth to your outdoor living area with an impactful yellow like Mister David. Yellows work beautifully in outdoor settings as they bring a burst of sunshine even when the weather has other ideas.
For a truly welcoming entrance, use Mister David on a front door and pair with Loft White woodwork for a fresh, bright finish.
Explore Mister David and other yellow paint schemes in our inspiration gallery.
Front Door: Mister David
Woodwork: Loft White
Update your shed for a coordinating outdoor scheme
Although they are often simply functional items, painting your shed in a shade that complements the rest of your outdoor space will help to bring the whole scheme together. Juniper Ash is a gorgeous muted blue that offers warmth and elegance without being too overwhelming. Contrast with eye-catching Atomic Red furniture for a bold colour highlight.
Potting Shed: Juniper Ash
Bench: Atomic Red
Choose paint colours with a story to tell
Our paint palette includes a number of historic shades that can bring both beauty and history to your outdoor space. The striking green blue, Goblin, was discovered at Snowshill Manor in Gloucestershire, England, and is perfect for use on exterior doors and woodwork.
This statement shade takes its name from Mr Charles Paget Wade, an architect, artist, poet and collector who lived at Snowshill Manor. A rather mischievous character, he was renowned for playing tricks on guests and was described by neighbour Mrs Graham Greene as ‘half a goblin’.
Green paint shades feel natural and at home in outdoor living spaces, and colours like Goblin bring a sense of playful history with them.
Gate: Goblin
Select the right paint finish for your exterior project
When choosing a finish for an exterior surface, protection, durability and longevity are vital considerations. The six finishes in our exterior family are the toughest paints in our range.
Choose from eggshell or gloss finishes for woodwork and metalwork, or brighten up your stone, brick and render walls with Masonry Paint or Limewash.
Exterior Eggshell Finishes
Intelligent Exterior Eggshell is a self-priming, quick-drying finish designed to last due to its high flexibility.
Exterior Gloss Finishes
Intelligent Gloss is a quick-drying, water-based gloss paint with an 80% sheen - the ultimate paint to achieve a smart front door and exterior trim.
Masonry Paints
Intelligent Masonry Paint is a tough, quick-drying, water-based paint for brickwork, render and cement blockwork.
Discover beautiful outdoor spaces for more exterior decorating ideas. Or get in touch with our Colour Consultants for expert advice on transforming your space.