This is Me
The Evolution of Self: This is me
From cave walls to camera rolls, from busts to bitmojis, we have...
There’s something about a heatwave that changes the way we see our gardens. Suddenly, the garden isn’t just somewhere we glance at from a window. It becomes the place to eat, read, drink, relax and entertain.
With another spell of serious summer heat arriving, we're taking our cue from somewhere that knows a thing or two about making outdoor living look effortless, Montecito CA.
SHOP THE MONTECITO EDIT →
Our curated selection of affordable pieces to bring a little California cool to your garden.
The Montecito garden style secret is in the layering. Natural materials, faded and earthy colours, generous seating, tactile textiles and planting that feels relaxed rather than overly manicured. Think warm timber, sandy neutrals, olive greens, terracotta, aged stone and just enough pattern to stop everything feeling too polished.
It’s a style that works particularly well in the UK because it doesn't demand perfection. In fact, a little weathering only makes it better.
The best Californian outdoor spaces tend to blur the line between indoors and out. A rug anchors a seating area. Cushions soften hard furniture. Lanterns and candles bring warmth once the sun disappears. And plants, mirrors and accessories are used almost like interior styling, to frame, soften and add depth.
We've taken those principles and created our own Montecito-inspired garden edit, looking at the ideas used by leading designers and translating them into something that works here.
The palette is deliberately restrained: soft neutrals, olives and grey-greens, natural wood and touches of black to give everything a little extra definition.
Choose the right pieces and they'll work well into September (and beyond) when the evenings get shorter, the light becomes softer and the garden starts to take on that slightly crisper more golden, autumnal feeling.
So, while the weather is giving us permission to live outside, we're making the most of it.
Consider this your invitation to stay out a little longer.
