Outdoor SunSpaces News

With the UK's total number of COVID-19 (coronavirus) cases on the rise once more, many people are being asked to self-isolate in order to help slow the disease down. In particular, you MUST stay at home if:

• You display symptoms of COVID-19, such as a high temperature or a new, continuous cough
• You test positive for COVID-19
• You are asked to self-isolate by NHS Test and Trace
• You enter the UK from a non-exempt country (see gov.uk for details)

But self-isolation, while necessary, can take a real toll on your mental health - especially if you've already been experiencing frequent periods of extended isolation for some time, as is the case for half a million older people in the UK.

With that in mind, here are 3 tips to help you stay as happy and healthy as possible while you're limiting your contact with the world outside your home.

1. Establish a routine.

Ensuring that your days and nights have a consistent structure will help you to safeguard your mental health during this stressful time. Good sleep hygiene is essential - try to wake up at the same time every morning and go to bed at the same time every evening.

During the day, try to stick to a routine so that you're never unsure of what to do with yourself. Eat three meals a day; tune in to your favourite television programmes; schedule regular telephone calls with your loved ones; and assign different activities to different parts of the day. For example, you could garden after lunch and read in the evening.

2. Keep yourself entertained.

Sustained boredom can be very damaging, so it's important to find a variety of ways to occupy yourself during periods of isolation. You probably already have your own hobbies and interests - perhaps even a project or two that you can work on - but if you're not used to staying at home for long stretches of time, you may need to branch out and find new sources of entertainment now.

This may be a good time to sign up for a streaming service like Netflix or Amazon Prime; there's also the BBC iPlayer, which allows you to watch all kinds of programmes you might have missed. Elsewhere on the Internet, there are countless communities on websites like Facebook and Reddit - have a look and you're sure to find a group of people with the same interests as you.

But not all entertainment has to revolve around screens. Self-isolation could also be a great opportunity to catch up on those books you've been meaning to read, or take up gardening, or even learn something new - if you've ever want to speak French or learn how to knit, now is the perfect time to start!

3. Go outside if you can.

Staying at home doesn't necessarily have to mean staying indoors. If you have a garden, you should definitely be making use of it while isolated. Fresh air and outdoor activity can bolster your mental health, and it's important to go out in the sun when you can and top up your vitamin D levels.

Alternatively, relaxing in your conservatory or garden room can be a great way to take a break from it all and give yourself a chance to breathe.

However you do it, please be sure to look after yourself during this stressful and potentially lonely time. If you have elderly and/or vulnerable relatives who are self-isolating at the moment, be sure to stay in touch with them - you may not be able to visit them, but you can still speak to them on the phone or chat online.

If you are considering adding a SunSpace to your home this spring, please bear in mind that our products require very little installation time. Our verandas typically take 1-2 days to install, while our sunrooms take just 2-3 days. This means that disruption to your schedule - and contact with our installers - will be minimal.

Originally published in March 2020. Updated 5th November 2020. Image from Pixabay

Creating a Mediterranean environment in a UK setting can be a big ask, particularly when it comes to the vast differences in climate.

However, that’s not to say it’s an impossible task. In fact, with a few strategic choices and deliberate additions, your back garden could easily become a dead ringer for a Spanish villa.

Here are a few simple changes that can truly transform your outdoor space into the Mediterranean garden you’ve always dreamed of.

Go Green

One of the most effective ways to provide your garden with a genuine taste of the Med is to take a leaf out of their book…quite literally.

Incorporating plants and greenery that are native to Mediterranean countries can instantly give your faux-Med landscape and air of visual credibility.

The RHS website has a whole list of Mediterranean garden plants you can easily add to your outdoor space to create a truly authentic looking continental ambience.

Go Potty

Speaking of plants, strategic placement of plant pots in and around your garden is an effortless way to add a bona fide Mediterranean flavour to your outside space.

Terra cotta pots are a must-have for anyone looking to replicate the foreign vibe at home. Fill with your favourite Med flowers and vegetation for a subtle yet striking addition that really makes a difference.

Where possible, opt for Clay pots with a wide base where possible. While we can replicate the Mediterranean appeal, we have no bearing over the weather; wide-base pots will stand a better chance of survival in windy UK weather conditions.

Lighten Up

Light-coloured tiles are a fantastic flooring option for anyone looking to create a warming Mediterranean feel in their back garden.

Sunny creams and subtle yellows all have a distinctive overseas flair to them, particularly when the skies provide the climate to match.

If you’re really looking to invest in your Med-look garden, appropriate tiling is the ultimate ace up the sleeve.

Take Cover

Perhaps one of the best ways to create a truly authentic Mediterranean landscape in your outdoor space is to create an outdoor seating area.

Opting for a veranda can instantly transform your garden area, creating the feeling of stepping into another country every time you step out of your back door.

Accessorise with garden furniture and climbing plants that reach up the pillars of your veranda can truly cap off a wonderful Mediterranean setting in the most authentic way possible.

Imagine enjoying a morning coffee in the shaded comfort of your SunSpace as the summer sun beams down on your garden. Does it get any more continental than that?

Make your Mediterranean dreams a reality with SunSpaces today! Call now on 01727 845 788 or get in touch online using the button below.

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If you’re looking to create a garden lounge to truly relax and unwind in, there are a number of outdoor additions you can add to your garden design to heighten the chilled-out ambience.

However, when it comes to ultimate outdoor relaxation, few garden furnishings can compete with the indulgent tranquillity of the inimitable outdoor daybed.

Inherently calming and unashamedly serene, these unique additions to the outdoor furniture collection make for the perfect setting for an open-air siesta.

What is a Garden Day Bed?

If the hammock was the poster boy for outdoor leisure in the 20^th century, the 21^st century has gone one better with garden daybed. Trumping the hammock in virtually every way, an outdoor daybed does exactly what it says on the proverbial tin.

The ultimate addition to any garden lounge, the outdoor daybed is – as you may well have guessed – essentially a bed for the outside. Much like a weatherproof garden sofa, outdoor daybeds bring the comfort of interior furniture to the garden setting, providing all the functionality of a traditional bed for external use.

Types of Garden Day Beds

Outdoor daybeds come in a variety of styles, ranging from rounded open-top sofas to fully-enclosed shell-like pods. Naturally, this variety brings with it wildly varying price-tags.

That being said, shopping around could allow you to find a daybed for as little as a few hundred pounds; however, the bigger your budget, the more styles and options you will have at your disposal.

With high-end options including such variants as rotating rattan huts and cube-shaped sanctuaries, it’s worth saving a little extra before pulling the trigger to truly get the most of the experience.

Day Bed in Your SunSpace

While outdoor daybeds can be fantastic for reclining and unwinding in the sun, British weather doesn’t always play ball when it comes to outdoor plans. Luckily, with the help of SunSpaces, you can enjoy your outdoor recliner whenever you see fit.

Whether you already have a SunSpace or are considering adding a SunSpace to your property, incorporating a combination of the two can be the ultimate cocktail of comfort.

What better way to unwind in the open air under an awning, enjoy the breeze in your veranda or stare into the stars in your garden room than in supine calm of a garden daybed?

Don’t take our word for it – explore the possibilities today! Call now on 01727 845 788 or drop us a line using the button below and complete your garden lounge.

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If you’ve ever dreamed of having your own bar, the tail-end of that dream has probably been met with internal acceptance that it’s a hopeless fantasy, an unreachable goal and an impossible vision destined never to be realised.

Not so fast, my friend. Here at SunSpaces, we believe in making dreams a reality – specifically those involving home renovation and upscaling.

Jimmy McElroy said it best in Blades of Glory – if you can dream it, you can do it – so don’t put your dreams on ice. With the help of SunSpaces, an outdoor garden bar no longer needs to be a pipe dream.

DIY Garden Bar

While it is possible to go the whole hog and create your own DIY garden bar from scratch, it naturally comes with a lot of work attached. Sadly, this often requires a lot of time and a lot of skill to boot which, in today’s fast-paced world, rarely come in pairs.

From measuring up and sourcing materials to laying the foundation and the overall construction itself, creating an outdoor garden bar is no small feat. In fact, the project can quickly turn into a bit of a mammoth task – particularly if you want to get it done properly.

If you want to create the ultimate backyard bar, a glorified shed probably won’t impress your mates and a second-rate job just isn’t going to cut the mustard. Luckily, at SunSpaces, our mustard cutting skills are world class!

Cut out the middle man and give your outdoor bar the perfect finish without lifting a finger, courtesy of the installation aces at SunSpaces.

SunSpaces Outdoor Bar

Our collection covers a wide range of outdoor living products, including everything from canopies to extensions and everything in between.

As such, we’ve seen it all when it comes to outdoor designs and there’s no hard and fast rule of how you have to use your SunSpace. In fact, it’s your space – how you utilise it is up to you!

Over the years, we’ve helped hundreds of customers achieve their dream outdoor living space. Many of these were purpose-built for a key purpose or function, be it a garden art studio or even a meditation garden room.

Bottom line: if you want to turn your SunSpace into a watering hole, we can make it so. To help get your cogs turning, here are two fantastic ways to create an outdoor garden bar within the comfort of your outdoor space.

Verandas for Cervezas in the Sun

Ideal for summertime socials, adding a veranda to your outdoor space can make for the perfect setting for an outdoor garden bar.

Any one of our stunning verandas can be easily transformed into a DIY garden bar, simply by the addition of an L-shaped stand and a few all-weather bar stools. Throw in a few ice buckets and you have yourself the perfect patio pop-up bar.

If a permanent bar isn’t quite going to pass your partner’s approval test, you could reach a steady compromise by opting for a fold-away Murphy Bar. That way, you economise on space and cost, while still providing you with a perfectly usable drop-down bar when needed.

What’s more, the open plan nature of the veranda also allows for ample airflow, should you want to really make the most of those summer days and spark up the barbeque. After all, any self-respecting garden bar should offer pub food, right?

Our veranda options also allow you to truly embrace the summertime weather by accessorising. Whether you wanted to incorporate a garden pool set in the surrounding area or add sun-loungers to soak up the sun.

Throw in a sound system and the resulting atmosphere can leave you feeling like you’re propping up a poolside bar in a foreign country, particularly when you get the weather to match.

Garden Rooms for Grey Sky Sanctuary

If you’re looking for a more permanent outdoor establishment for year-round enjoyment, there’s really no substitute for the weather-proof enclosed SunSpaces garden room.

Built essentially as an extension on to the house itself, the garden room option provides a number of additional bar-friendly benefits, most notably insulated comfort. That being said, perhaps the most complete solution to the outdoor bar conundrum is to opt for the always awesome free-standing variation.

A unique alternative to a traditional garden room, the independent option provides you with everything you could want from an outdoor garden bar. Offering the privacy of a detached structure with all the functionality of a fully-enclosed room, a free-standing garden room offers all-season use in a purpose-built standalone structure.

Separated from the house for additional peace for all parties, creating distance also helps enhance the pub-like ambience of your outdoor bar. By establishing separation between the home and the outdoor garden bar, you are effectively creating the illusion of going out, despite not leaving your premises.

SunSpaces also has a variety of heating options available to keep your personal outdoor bar warm and welcoming, whatever the weather. This even includes a Bluetooth speaker/heater combo, allowing you to truly bring the bar ambience to life in heated comfort.

For more information on our variety of verandas and garden rooms available – or for more ideas on how to transform your outdoor space – call now on 0800 085 8110. Alternatively, drop us an email using the button below.

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