INSIDE A SMALL GARDEN ROOM

I had my 9 x 7ft garden room built in 2017 and began to fill it with a clutter of things. Of course, I had to have a comfortable chair and a place to put my feet up and relax. I would have liked a small sofa or a chaise longue but in a room that size there is limited space, so I chose the 'New York Swivel Rocker' in a neutral colour and a matching stool/footrest - I can be on and off my rocker in comfort. There is also a side table in acacia wood, a large round cream-coloured marble table (it weighs a ton!) where I can do artwork or write. The small cane chair at the table was rescued years ago from ending up at the tip. Mats for dirty feet are the washable Hug Rugs and the roller blinds are by Hillarys. 

I wanted to have flowers or a plant in the garden room but the extreme temperatures ranging from below zero to stiflingly hot would kill any plant life so I chose some jolly and vibrantly loud artificial flowers. There is nothing really quiet in the garden room, except me. Ornamental things are moved around from time to time and but the metal goose remains on the table and has become a regular feature. It even ended up in a bit-of-fun painting. 

Marble table and bits and bats

There's an unused 'Artina Wooden Artist Easel Napoli – H-Frame Painting Easel' leaning against the left wall. It's a beautiful easel as it has four feet, a bottom shelf, a drawer, and is fully adjustable - perfect for someone like me who has a balance disability and a tendency to knock things over - but it is such a bother for me to put up that it is now just part of the decor. I hang quirky things off it, like the Swinging Hedgehog, the heavy bronze Climbing Man...

a mask and a tin lizard. When I lived in the tropics, I shared my home with small green lizards which used to hide out behind the mirrors; they are excellent mosquito eaters and were very welcome.When I saw this in a gift shop, I had to have it. 

And my welcome sign ...

Around the walls I have Benaya ceramic tiles which are bright and cheerful, and also some framed artwork which I created from chalk paint and rub-on transfers on wooden boards, finished with a UV protective lacquer and no need for glass. 

My garden room has to be a place that puts a smile on my face. It's strange but when I have shown it to others, when they have been inside, they always say without prompting that it has a lovely atmosphere. I agree. It has. I think that is because it is small and not exactly sparsely furnished. It's cozy. When the sun shines it is warm and bright, when it rains it's alive with the sound of raindrops hammering on the roof. 

I lived for a long time in the Caribbean and one day I was on a beach when some Colombian friends I was with picked up a large chunk of broken-off coral (coral skeleton) which they found rolling around on the shoreline. How such a heavy and solid thing, it must weight 3lb at least, had broken off I don't know. They wanted me to have it as a reminder of them and I (legally) brought it back to England with me. It sits on the side table next to my chair, a memento. 

End view of Pillar Coral skeleton

Pillar Coral skeleton(Dendrogyra cylindrus)

The below hand-made candle holders are very unusual and I believe they are from Mexico

The End