Our heatwave garden accessories (2023)

My fiancée and I have (slowly) been doing up our lovely little garden over the year, and I thought I'd share my favourite new pieces with you as summer seems to be sticking around a little bit...

Metal plaque decorations

We already have a couple of these up in the garden but I was dying to add some more and make it a whole feature corner - but everywhere I looked they were so expensive or just didn't look that great. When that TEMU app launched and the free credit for signing up was doing the round (I ended up with over £100 credit in the end) I happened to spy some of these on there. Of course I was unsure what the quality would be like, but they're actually spot on. They're slightly smaller than the two we already had up, but they look and feel great and make the perfect addition to our little garden. We attached them with screws in the top holes and 'no more nails' along the bottom because we didn't have enough screws and they've held up great.

The Jack Daniels and Budweiser plaques we already owned; the rest are from TEMU

Robert Dyas Table & Chairs

Originally we were looking for a table with 6 chairs and a parasol, then we realised we definitely didn't need 6 chairs and when I found this set including a table, 4 chairs and a parasol for £125 with free delivery it was too good of a deal to pass up. They were delivered quickly and the table was easy to put together - it did unfortunately have a couple of scuffs on it, but nothing majorly noticeable. It's the perfect size for our decking, alongside the egg chair (see below) and the chairs themselves are pretty comfy. I'm on the hunt for the perfect cushions to go with them now!

Ella James Sorrento Egg Chair*

I have wanted a hanging egg chair for SO long, and when Ella James offered to send me one to complete our garden I was simply over the moon. It arrived on a palette which I had to break apart to then get the pieces of the chair out and into the garden - then began the task of putting it together! The three pieces are the base, arm, and chair itself. The base has little plastic clips to attach which help keep the chair from sliding around, and the arm slotted into it easily with some bolts. The seat itself then hangs from a metal chain and you screw through the top to attach them together. Our screw was the wrong size so it wouldn't go in at all - luckily my dad came to the rescue and sorted it out, it's not perfect but it's definitely attached!

The chair is so comfortable with thick cushions, and it feels SO sturdy. I've already spent hours upon hours just sitting in it with a book - before work, after work, at the weekend. It has genuinely made my entire year and I can't recommend it more; this is the Grey Indoor Outdoor Sorrento Egg Chair and it's my favourite thing ever.

Garden Rug

This grey and white patterned outdoor rug is waterproof and I think it looks great under our table and chairs - in my opinion, it really helps the space come together and provides a finishing touch. I do find it rolls up at the corners when it's windy, but it's not a big deal! It feels really good quality, and it's only from Home Bargains. I think it was around the £10 mark, and they still had them in store last time I was there.

Next year I plan to add some colourful cushions, and repaint some of the areas that need some love and attention. But summer is technically coming to an end & spooky season is around the corner, so that's it for now!