Outdoor living: five hot trends. Geraniums, furniture and accessories transform patios, balconies and verandas into outdoor living spaces

Is there anything better than spending warm summer days outside? If you have your own outdoor space, count yourself lucky. With the right combination of easy-care plants and carefully chosen furniture and accessories, patios, balconies and verandas can quickly become comfortable outdoor living spaces that extend your home and help you relax. The experts at Pelargonium for Europe (PfE) explain why geraniums are the ideal choice for sunny outdoor dream spaces and offer five popular trends for well-designed outdoor spaces, from colourful to exotic, eco-chic to relaxed Mediterranean.

Go bold: an explosion of colour!

Diverse and vibrant, the trend for more colour is here to stay and is everywhere when it comes to outdoor design. Not only the furniture and accessories, but also the flowers can be vivid. Instead of muted, monochrome flowers, this terrace brings an explosion of colour to balcony boxes and planters.

Geraniums are the perfect choice for sunny to semi-shady patios, balconies and verandas. They come in an enormous variety of colours and shapes, are vigorous growers and produce new flowers from spring to autumn. They also work well with other sun-loving plants such as lavender, nemisia or Jamaica mountain sage.

The jungle look at home: an exotic feel for the patio

This magical place with a party atmosphere is perfect for lazy summer evenings in the garden.

Among blooming geraniums and lots of greenery, a garden bench is perfect for daydreaming and chatting. Candles in buckets of sand provide a soft glow.

The jungle look is on-trend right now, both inside and out. Which is no surprise, as many people long for a bit of nature in their everyday lives. In this exotic boho patio, brightly coloured geraniums contrast with the lush green plants to bring a holiday feel to your home. The soft blush tone of the wall adds to the warm, homely feel.

Tip: Geraniums need plenty of sun. A sunny to partially shaded position is ideal.

Eco-chic: Between sustainability and design

In these contemporary, eco-chic outdoor living spaces, elegant wooden pieces and accessories bridge the gap between sustainability and design. Lush flowering geraniums add bright accent and summery feel.

With their abundant blooms and vibrant colours, these easy-care bedding and balcony plants are the epitome of summer. Wooden planters show them off to great effect.

Tip: These stunning geraniums were originally bred as houseplants. Outside, they need a sunny spot out of the wind and rain. A light-flooded covered patio is perfect.

Relaxed boho look with a Mediterranean feel

Left: Simple, unique, brightly painted pieces of wooden furniture, a rattan rug, large foliage plants and colourful geraniums in baskets all characterise the Mediterranean Scandi boho style of this relaxed outdoor living room.

Tip: Place any homemade wall garden in a sunny spot, as geraniums need plenty of light to flower.

Right: Surrounded by colourful geraniums and lush foliage plants, the hanging wicker chair on this covered veranda is a perfect place to enjoy the summer.

Left: A vertical garden makes walls bloom. With this craft project, flower pots and balcony boxes filled with a variety of geraniums can hang from a metal grid attached to a wooden frame made from timber planks. This means the planters don’t have to be fixed directly to the wall.
Tip: Place any homemade wall garden in a sunny spot, as geraniums need plenty of light to flower.

Little balcony retreats: natural open spaces in the city

Even a small balcony offers a natural open space, allowing you to move parts of your everyday life outside without having to leave your own home.

When the weather is nice, a carefully designed balcony in the city can be used as an outdoor office.

Flowering geraniums and other plants create an inspiring working environment.

With this compact city balcony, even the view outside is a pleasure. Selected furniture and accessories, along with lush geraniums and olive trees, blur the boundary between indoors and outdoors. Strawberry and tomato plants are perfect for snacks. DIY tip: The bench is homemade, consisting of a board with round recesses that rests on two planted tubs.