Though it's not quite the full blaze of summer, the weather is certainly warming. Andwhy not accelerate the alfresco mood by decorating with garden antiques that give your home and garden a fresh, organic feel?
Even if pots, trowels and planters are really made for manual labour in the garden, they also make brilliant decorative accessories, and can be used both outside and in.
Here are 9 easy ideas for using garden antiques to lend a stylish, rustic – and summery – touch that you can enjoy in your home and garden all year round.
Want to focus on the outside? Check out our guide to how to design your garden using antique pieces.
How to incorporate garden antiques into your interior design
Display houseplants in decorative antique planters
A large weathered planter filled with a houseplant or indoor tree makes a fun play of scale next to an elegant armchair.
Make a surprising display using a chest of drawers
Open up an antique chest of drawers and add in houseplants and gardening accessories to make a surprising and standout display.
Use salvaged garden seating in the dining room
Decorative garden chairs give a dining room a relaxed, unhurried feel. Continue the theme with a hessian or hemp table runner.
If you're not sure how to look after your antique pieces, check out our guide to how to clean antique garden furniture.
Pair rusted garden antiques with elegant floral fabrics
Fresh floral fabrics contrast with the antique patina of terracotta pots, old workbenches and vintage soil sieves – like this charming living room mantle display.
Find out what patina is here.
Make a statement with shapely garden furniture
Victorian wrought iron garden furniture can add sculptural shapes to your home, and this curved seat would look beautiful in an entrance hall, or as an occasional seat in a bedroom.
Have a read of our guide by Drew Pritchard on the best garden antiques pieces you need in your home.
Create a quirky sink area in a utility room or cloakroom
You can create a stylish sink area from an old Formica table and a brass garden tap. Use tiles to make a splash-back and, for a truly vintage look, you could repurpose an old stone trough for the sink.
Photography Katya de Grunwald. Styling Marisa Daly