Gharpedia shows you how to add a personal hue to your unique outdoor space using furniture, salvage and natural materials.
Rustic gardens are a fast-emerging trend in the house segment. These spaces are replete with character and imagination. What makes rustic gardens popular is that they are simply designed and made up of sturdy natural materials besides aptly showcasing the personality of their creator.
Through this blog Gharpedia takes you through some innovative rustic garden design ideas to do up your rustic garden.
What is a Rustic Garden?
These are relaxed, informal, creative garden spaces which owe their origin to a passion for repurposing. It comprises of innovatively putting together daily objects in order to add features like – comfy seating areas, plant supports, arches and arbours – to your outside space and that too at a minimal cost.
Their charm lies in the exclusively subjective look that they produce through engaging elements like – colour, varied object d’art and character – to reflect the personality of their creator.
Rustic Garden Design Ideas
If we’ve got you hooked to setting up your own rustic garden then here’s sharing a few ideas for you to explore –
01. Repurpose a Garden Shed
Alter a mundane wooden garden shed into a rustic retreat for your quality ‘me’ time. Paint it with a fresh coat of cool paint shade which melts into the surrounding greenery and creates a temptingly inviting look. No need to opt for professional painting services do it yourself and trust us the rough patches of peeling paintwork will add to the rustic look! Hey…don’t forget to paint the window and door frames in another shade.
Strive for creating a cosy, interesting and inviting space. Showcase container plants on a wooden chair or a side table; rustle up the rustic look by adding stone jars, glass bottles, wooden washboards et al.
02. Floral Display
A garden is incomplete without potted blooms to mark each season. Not only do they create a colourful visual impact but they add a hue of positive energy too!
Opt for a measured look by placing similar blooms and colours in containers of the same element. Some ideas to explore in this segment comprise – wooden crates, jute baskets, galvanized buckets et al.
03. Weathered Finish
A primary requirement for casual rustic gardens is distressed and worn surfaces. How about checking out the on-going fad of corten steel whose material changes depending on the surrounding elements? Trust us you’ll love the way this cool grey metal gradually develops rich rust shades; and the best part is that this weathering process doesn’t leave an impact on the strength of the steel. This works best with – fire pits, outdoor heating ideas and water bowls.
04. Vintage Features
Hunt and install in your rustic garden salvaged stuff like – rusted metal gates, vintage mirrors, worn timber shutters, stone lintels etc. – to create a sense of curiosity and lend an old world charm to your rustic garden.
05. Stoneware Planters
Ethnic stoneware planters add to the rustic look of your garden and they better with age when draped with lichens and moss. You could try placing pots, urns, benches and plinths in one place say a dark corner or a vacant spot outside the backdoor or window. Do plant them with colourful, trailing and clump-forming flowers that gently spill over the edges of the planter.
06. Light It Up!
How about brightening things up in your rustic garden by deploying festoon lights or fairy lights? In case of non-availability of plug points vet the market for battery-operated electric devices like table lamps and fairy lights
07. Flower Colour Palette
While selecting paints opt for soothing hues like – blue, ash, slate, green, pewter – as not only are these perfectly in sync with the leafy hedges, timber fence, faded brickwork, terracotta pots etc.; but they also allow your colourful blossoms to enjoy the limelight!
08. Step Up Things With a Ladder!
Deploy a wooden ladder to create an impactful display of blooms of a similar shade … do remember to keep the rustic finish of the ladder intact and don’t place more than two pots on each step of the ladder as we don’t want it to look congested do we?
09. An Inviting Log Arch
How about creating an entrance with a timber pole arch? You can throw in some climbing plants (clematis, honeysuckle, wisteria et al).
Wondering how to go about it?
Relax just surf the internet for DIY kits of arches, pergolas and arbours!
Do remember the golden rule of rustic gardens – the structure is required to be simple and the timbers need to be chunky and ahem… securely fixed of course!
10. Repurpose Wooden Crates
Add a dash of charm to your rustic garden by selecting varied-sized wooden crates and painting them in colourful hues and then use them as side tables. They can also be used as showcases for garden tools and accessories or potted plants – planted on the floor or if space is a constraint then affixed on the wall to create interesting patterns
11. Rustic Seating
What’s a garden without a place to sit and absorb the rustic ambience? Some offbeat furniture ideas to explore – tractor seats, ornate metal designs, repurposed kitchen chairs etc. These will stand out in the greenery and be a perfect spot for a cuppa or immersing yourself in a book
12. Create Garden Bonding Zone
How about setting up a rustic lounge where you can create timeless memories with your friends and family? An ideal ‘selfie zone’ enfolded in lush foliage, colourful blossoms and natural materials!
Go ahead and set up a timber pergola amidst a brick paved clearing; place hang lanterns, festoon bulbs and plant baskets on the wooden poles; throw in some handcrafted timber furniture and a coffee table and voila your bonding zone is ready to welcome your loved ones!
13. Quaint Signage
Surprise, personal touch and mood lifting designs are integral elements of rustic gardens so how about a signage which is so ‘you’! You can choose your favourite quotes and splash them around your rustic garden – paint it on a wall intimately placed near a climber; or alternatively inscribe it on a paving slab in front of a pond if you have one.
Quotes can even be added to garden products like bird baths, swings, benches etc. – to lend them a personalized touch
14. Host a Birdhouse
Don’t forget to create a cozy corner for your feathered friends in your rustic garden!
All you need to house birds is – a simple wooden bird house, paint, wood glue and tad creativity! Scout for unwanted items which need to be up-cycled say offcuts of picture frames which can double up as bargeboards; doorknobs and carved mouldings that can be used for decorating it; a ceramic bowl is best purposed as a watering hole; et al. Trust us this is the best way to keep your kids engaged!
15. Repurposing Old Furniture
Lend a fresh lease of life to your old furniture – like coffee tables or bedside tables – by using them in your rustic garden. But do remember to strengthen the old furniture by lightly sanding it and giving it a couple of coats of wood paint.
In A Nutshell …
Remember these pointers while setting-up your rustic garden –
- Create height and structure
- Invite Mother Nature to ‘furnish’ it to give it an old-worldly charm
- Leave some elements exposed to wind, rain and shine
- Hunt antique shops for accessories to give a heritage feel to your rustic garden
We hope you enjoyed our rustic garden design ideas. Before you leave this blog, don’t forget to look at the rustic interior design ideas to match up the theme in the home as well. Simply click on the links provided below –
Image Courtesy: Image 10
Author Bio
Huta Raval – An English Literature and Journalism Topper, Huta Raval has graduated from the L D Arts College, Ahmedabad. Post serving for 23 years in the NBFC and Public Library Sectors her desire for ‘writing the unwritten’ brought her to the creative field of content writing. Her clientele comprises of NGOs, Blogging Platforms, Newspapers, Academic Institutions, et al.