What better way to kick off a series of posts on the CASA PYLA renovations with the makeover of our outdoor space with FERMOB.

I have been a huge fan of Fermob outdoor furniture for years and I’m hugely grateful to be working with such a beautiful brand and to be in a small way, one of the #fermobpeople

For those not familiar with this fabulous French brand, it is THE brand when it comes to high-quality, durable outdoor furniture.
You may have spotted their beautiful and very photogenic green metal garden chairs in Les Jardins du Luxembourg in Paris.
If you haven’t, make sure you go for a stroll there next time you’re in Paris.

In the UK, the Fermob collection is available from Amara. If you have a house near the Bay of Arcachon, the whole collection can be ordered from Zig & Puces in Le Moulleau.

24 colours available

Fermob has a fantastic range of bright, cheerful colours but as you know by now, bright colours aren’t exactly my thing. I like muted, natural tones that reflect and enhance natural beauty around us.

So, it was FERMOB muted tones that appealed to me like Carbone (the colour of my garden set), Réglisse (my second choice), Romarin, Cactus and Muscade.

CASA PYLA renovations

If you’ve been following the renovations on Instagram, you probably know that there are two phases to the renovations.
Phase 1 (which I started on 30th March) was to redecorate the whole house in less than 3 months, to make it wonderfully pleasant over the Summer.
That meant, re-painting the 5 bedrooms, fitting a new kitchen in, finishing the master bathroom the previous owners had started renovating, adding an outdoor shower and creating a wonderful, inspiring outdoor space.

In phase 2, (kicking off in October), we will reconfigure the whole volume of the house to create a spacious, feel-good home, filled with natural light. This means, adding new windows, knocking down a few internal walls and adding a deck at the front of the house and a pool.

My contemporary garden makeover plans

One of my priorities was to find outdoor furniture that would work for both phases.
The colour and design needed to complement and enhance the beauty of our current woodsy, leafy garden. While on phase 2, this garden set will likely stand on a deck by a pool in a more minimalist setting.

Not a priority but being able to complement my earthy, darker, ceramic tableware would be a plus to guarantee beautifully styled Summer tables ;-)FERMOB has several beautiful collections to choose from.

They regularly work with established Designers and some have a very modern feel like the Bellevie collection (a strong contestant on my wishlist) designed by Pagnon & Pelhaître. While the Bistro collection feels more classic.I’ve always been seduced by the timeless appeal and simple lines of the Luxembourg collection.
Not only, it’s beautifully designed, the chairs are also very comfortable and sturdy.

As CASA PYLA can host up to 10 people (14 in phase 2), I chose this 2m long table which is perfect for big gatherings with friends and family.
Chairs are available in two designs but I like the simplicity of this model and the fact that they are stackable which will make storage easier in Winter time.

First, we had to tidy up the garden which hadn’t been looked after for the past five years.

On the ground level, Steve gathered together an insane amount of pine needles and did endless trips to the green recycling centre. Then I got some guys to trim off the trees to let the light in the house and in the garden.

My next step was to create an inspiring outdoor space.

I’ve always dreamt of a garden with fairy lights. I had a go in our home in London but the bulbs were not led and the garland was a pain to install.
This time, I sourced these Led garlands from Sirius at Zig & Puces. The beauty of it is that you can buy a master garland and then connect up to 10 extensions to create a striking outdoor space over several meters.

Pretty light garlands by Sirius Shining Moments & led decorative balls from Ikea complete the look

I obviously went for a monochrome look this time but I feel this gives me a great canvas to play with should I wish to add touches of colours or style a theme dinner party.

I also found that our Carbone dining table goes nicely with more natural things like these placemats I bought from Marrakech. Below was my first attempt to make tapenade with my Nutribullet.

Plate & bowl from Bloomingville (current collection)

And that’s as simple as that…The perfect setting for great dinner parties or lazy lunches with friends and family.

If you fancy spending some time in CASA PYLA, feel free to email me here.

CASA PYLA is a creative residence and as such is also available as a shooting location. It is located in Pyla-sur-mer (45 min drive from Bordeaux airport), an area which is very leafy, wild in some parts and if you walk on the beach, you get a stunning view of this beauty.

This article is posted in partnership with outdoor furniture company FERMOB and contains affiliates links.