As we shift our focus from indoors to out and start dreaming about long leisurely al fresco lunches, delicious barbeques, or even just soaking up a little Vitamin D whilst we have our morning coffee out on the balcony, I think we can agree that these days, we want our outdoor living spaces to look as beautiful as our interiors. Early Settler’s Outdoor 2022 collection has nailed this ideal – with everything from long, family sized tables to chic little two-seater settings, bar tables with stools, braziers, and more.

For a more casual seating option, I love a bench seat, and the new Mantara table and bench seats will blend seamlessly into either a contemporary or a more traditional outdoor space. With a cement table-top, and a sturdy aluminium base with a faux-wood look, it’s a true neutral colour tone, and the bench seats mean you can pile a few extra guests around at mealtimes.

The world of interiors works in tandem with the world of fashion these days, and just as we are seeing a proliferation of gorgeous colour, pattern and prints on the runways and in the stores, outdoor furniture and accessories are also embracing colour like we haven’t seen for quite a few years now. Colour is such a joyful way to add a sense of occasion and fun to entertaining outdoors. It’s also a great way to liven up a neutral patio or balcony, and to add year-round vibrancy to your garden.

The best news is that colour doesn’t need to be too brash or bold. Rather, it can be beautifully subtle, taking its cues from nature with sage greens, ocean and sky blues, natural, earthy-hued clays and sun-shine yellows.

Early Settler’s Kace table is my top pick for adding an instant hit of nature-inspired colour to your outdoor living space. Available in either Sage Green or Storm Blue, this powder coated galvanised steel can either be used with a matching bench seat, or with contrasting chairs such as the Jesi dining chairs in Tumeric yellow.

In fact, simply adding coloured chairs is a great way to update the look of a timber table. I’m pretty adventurous with colour, so I adore the idea of mixing a few different coloured chairs around a table. Blue and green should always been seen together in my opinion (and I’m pretty sure Mother Nature would agree), so I’m really into to blend a few Blanka dining chairs in Marine Blue and Forrest green around either a timber or powder-coated table.

Decorating with warmer hues will always add another layer of temptation to enjoy your meals outdoors, and our devotion to pinks, soft clays and terracotta is showing no signs of waning. These tones work particularly well with pale timbers and white, so look to the Marlo bar stool in burnt orange, the Blanka dining chair in terracotta and the Romy dining chair in blush to add warmth to your outdoor dining spaces. Outdoor cushions such as the Aruba Retro Leaf in Multi are colourfast, resistant to spills and light rain, and will add extra comfort and warmth as well.

With apartment living becoming an increasingly popular choice for young home-buyers and renters as well as confirmed city-dwellers and down-sizers, there’s been a huge increase in small-space friendly furniture designed specifically for balconies, courtyards and terraces. I know from my own apartment, making the best use of every inch of balcony space really counts – and they are also incredibly fun to style-up, no matter your chosen décor theme.

Using a colour theme or a really unified palette will help emphasise a smaller outdoor ‘zone’, as will using other elements like an outdoor rug, side tables and accessories like lanterns, outdoor cushions and throws. One piece that really caught my on the outdoor shoot was the Ludo three seater sofa in Navy Blue powder coated steel with a matching polyester seat cushion. It’s curved, contemporary lines mean it’s not visually bulky, so even though it’s a three-seater, it won’t crowd a small space. To emphasise the gorgeous blue, we teamed it with all-blue accessories, including the Glaze outdoor coffee table and side table in Marine Blue, the round Blue Flower outdoor rug, and Surat Daisy lanterns.