The garden furniture colours that make a south-facing garden sing, according to experts

Make the most of the sunniest of plots with these colour choices

Grey outdoor sofa with red and blue cushions
(Image credit: Future PLC/Fiona (Bowen) Walker-Arnott)

Ah, yes. A south-facing garden: every British household's dream. Filled with sunlight and often the face of many budding garden ideas, as the weather (hopefully) warms up again, it comes as no surprise that you may be wanting to spruce up your outdoor living room ideas to make the most of the remainder of the summertime.

Colour schemes for your outdoor living space don't only rely on personal preference but may also be dependent on which direction your garden faces. Lucky for you, as someone with a south-facing garden, you've got the lucky end of the stick that many are envious of, and your choices for which paint trends to follow and garden furniture colours are pretty plentiful.

We know the outdoor sofa colours to avoid for a north-facing garden, so what about south-facing ones? Here are the colours to opt for (and the colours to steer clear of) for a south-facing garden, as recommended by the experts.

Exterior of house with stone patio, wirework outdoor furniture, tree shrubs

(Image credit: Future PLC)

The garden furniture colours to opt for in a south-facing garden

'A south-facing garden will be filled with natural sunlight all day, so you have the luxury of having a lot more choice when it comes to colours,' says Tash Bradley, director of interior design and colour psychologist at Lick.

'If your garden is south-facing, light colours are best to allow the bright natural light to bounce around freely,' starts Zoe Vita James, a classically trained Feng Shui practitioner partnered with Open Space Concepts. 'Add pops of red to enhance the natural fire energy of the south.'

Recycled wood garden seating, pale grey cushions

(Image credit: Future PLC)

However, while we may be all for light colours to further enhance the natural sunlight a south-facing garden is often basked in, Tash recommends against anything too bright or neon.

'I'd avoid anything too bright or neon such as a bright yellow or a bright pink, as these colours may be overwhelming when combined with that bright sunlight and may also attract insects,' warns Tash.

She counterpoints, 'Sage greens, dark charcoal greys, or soft whites would be really beautiful in a south-facing garden.'

Outdoor sofa with colourful cushions on a stone path with a firepit

(Image credit: Future PLC)

If you wanted to up the ante even more with tapping into the 'fire energy of the south' that Zoe flagged earlier, you can 'add further fire energy in the form of candles, lanterns, and festoon lighting to encourage passionate and inspiring moments after the sun goes down.'

We think that illuminating your soft outdoor furniture colour choices with garden lighting is the perfect way to bring extra warmth in the evening, to an otherwise bright and light garden during the daytime.

Grey outdoor sofa with red and blue cushions

(Image credit: Future PLC/Fiona (Bowen) Walker-Arnott)

However, as with anything, the choice overall lies with you. Whether you choose a garden furniture colour based on your outdoor space's orientation, or if it's simply a colour that you enjoy, go for the colour that will make you sing. At the end of the day, a happy homeowner makes for a happy garden more than anything.

Jullia Joson
Junior Writer

Jullia is Ideal Home’s Junior Writer and the Ideal Home Certified Expert in Training on Vacuums, having spent over 60 hours testing different models. She’s always loved all things homes and interiors, graduating with a bachelor’s degree in Architectural Studies from the University of Nottingham where her love for writing blossomed following her internship at ArchDaily. Now focused on home tech and cleaning, Jullia works on writing features and explainers to help people make the most of their home appliance investments, putting the newest launches through their paces. When she isn’t writing, she loves exploring the city, coffee shop hopping, and losing hours to a cosy game or book.