My Summerhouse Makeover With AXA

(This post was sponsored by AXA, all views are my own.)

Hello everyone!

One of my most favourite things that I did when I moved to this house, was to invest in a summerhouse/she-shed. Our summerhouse has given us so much pleasure, not only in the beginning when I effectively had another room to decorate and dress, but also for nearly four summers. I’ve sat in with with friends for G&T’s, I’ve worked on my laptop, my daughter has sat and read in there, and I’ve used it as a mini studio. It’s like a mini blank canvas that I can try out new styling ideas and change around to my heart’s desire!

For a while now it’s needed a bit of a refresh, an injection of colour and fun! So when AXA got in touch and asked if I’d like to give my summerhouse a makeover, I grabbed the opportunity with both hands! At the recent Grand Designs Live in London, AXA sponsored the first ever Grand Shed Project.  They ran an open competition to transform five sheds, and four interior designers and one garden designer got through to the final with their shed makeover designs.  AXA then challenged some interiors bloggers (me included!) to have at go at redesigning their own outdoor spaces, inspired by their themed sheds.  Challenge accepted!

I decided to pull everything out of my summerhouse, and to make a reading nook for the children and I to sit and enjoy the garden. I had such brilliant fun sourcing all the items for my design. I really wanted to go for shades of greens and teals, and mix slightly industrial pieces, softened with velvets, and vintage florals. The finished look is definitely eclectic, and my heart jumped for joy when I pulled it all together – I absolutely love it! Here’s a breakdown of the pieces I sourced, and how you can find similar.

Little sofa
I fell in love with this mini button back sofa in soft velvet, and knew its would be perfect for my reading nook. With it’s slightly mid-century vibe, it might seem an unusual choice for me, but I’m a recent convert to mixing pieces from different era’s together for a truly boho, eclectic look. I got this one from Homesense, but there are tons of online shops that sell similar.

Cushions
I pulled together a mix of velvet and floral cushions. Check out the high street for velvet, and make your own cushions from vintage Sanderson fabrics – I made the the cushion on the right from some fabric I found on eBay. Throw a brightly coloured throw into the mix to wrap around shoulders as the sun goes down!

Trunk
This old tool box/trunk had my name written all over it and I practically pole vaulted across the room when I saw it in my local vintage emporium! The colour is utterly gorgeous, and some might try to remove the paint splatters but I’m embracing its imperfections. Brilliant for storage and for using as a little coffee table. Look out for trunks on eBay, at auctions and at car boot fairs.

Chair
The chair is another find that I absolutely fell in love with. With it’s industrial vibe it could be used as a side table for a lamp, or a bedside table. When I saw it the first time, the stall owner had two dozen of them, but when I went back the second time, he only had two left! Lesson number one folks – when you see vintage items that you love, get them! Six of these would have looked amazing around my garden table – apparently they were shipped over from Thailand. Anyhow, it fits in perfectly with my little nook, especially when softened with a floral cushion.

Wall cupboard
This was dark brown when I bought it, so I gave it a repaint to freshen it up. I layered green paint under the white paint, so when I distressed it the green would show through. Perfect for storing books and jars of sea shells from our trips to the beach. Vintage wall cupboards are in plentiful supply, you just have to use your imagination and some paint to bring them back to life!

On the wall
I found the rose print and crystal wall sconce in some of my local vintage shops, and I knew they would a touch of shabby chic boho prettiness to my nook. eBay is yet again a good place to source items like these if you don’t have good vintage shops or markets in your area

I really hope this has inspired you to clear out a corner of your outdoor space – how would you design yours?

Tamsyn x

Categories /

Tags / /

Comments

Please do leave a comment, I love hearing from you!

  • Sarah

    Hi Tamsyn, I love your makeover it is sooo inspiring! Absolutely LOVE the little mustard sofa. Do you know if it’s available to order online? Thanks, Sarah xo

    • tamsynmorgans

      Hi Sarah, thank you so much, that’s so lovely to hear! I’m so pleased with it! I’m afraid I don’t know, I went to my nearest Homesense which is in Cambridge, because I know that they often have really lovely seating – well worth a visit if you can get to one. They are of course related to TKMaxx, so also worth checking their website? Failing that I’d search ‘small button back sofa’ on Google to give that a try. Good luck, really hope you find something similar x

      • Sarah

        I’m sure you are delighted with it – looks fabulous! Many thanks for your advice – will take a look. Fingers crossed xo

  • Hi Tamsyn, I love that Homesense sofa. I fell head over heels for the reading nook from the Grand Designs Live show and we just finished our own little reading and podcast nook there yesterday. I can’t wait to get ours posted now! x

    • tamsynmorgans

      Hi Claire, ah thank you so much! I loved the space before but this makeover has made me so happy, I love all the colours! xx

  • Linda cooper

    Hello, loving your shed.
    Could you please tell me which make and shade of white it is.
    Googling whites at the moment as I have a small garden and want to get it right.
    Linda

    • tamsynmorgans

      Hi Linda,thank you so much! I’ve just had a quick look online and I believe it was Cuprinol shed paint in Pale Jasmine. Nice soft white. Hope this helps! Tamsyn x

  • Candy Pop

    This is stunning. What a beautiful space. x

    • tamsynmorgans

      Thank you so much Natasha, I’m so happy with it! x

  • This is absolutely gorgeous Tamsyn! I’ve been wanting to revamp my own shed for years, but never seem to get around to it. I love the fact that both you and your children use it for various activities, and yet it still remains pretty and elegant! Lovely styling. xxx

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *