BRAMBLECREST CELEBRATES

THE MOON GARDEN

Premium garden furniture brand Bramblecrest celebrated the growing trend for Moon Garden designs for UK customers in 2023 hosting events and talking trends. Now head of product innovation, Jonathan Sparkes, bring more tips and tricks in 2024 with health and wellbeing benefits on embracing the Moon Garden from TV Psychologist Honey Langcaster-James.

What is a Moon Garden?

A Moon Garden is the conscious designing of an outdoor space to be enjoyed equally at night, by moonlight, as in traditional afternoon sun. Using a Moon Garden to enjoy quiet, peaceful moments in nature during the evening reduces post-work and daily stress, promoting better sleep and general health. A Moon Garden also has the added benefit of harnessing the sights, sounds and smells of the great outdoors and wildlife that come to life at night.  

Bramblecrest’s top tips for creating a Moon Garden... 

💬Jonathan Sparkes, head of product innovation at Bramblecrest, says “The foundation of a Moon Garden is a place to sit and soak it all in. To be able to fully relax, seating needs to be supportive whilst allowing you to sink deep into the cushions. With options including reclining sofas and built-in loungers, such as our Chedworth or Vilamoura, you can lay back and stare up at the night sky. 

Set the Scene

·      A cocoon chair, either single, double or triple seater, helps you feel both comforted and contained, swinging and swaying gently back and forth as you take in the night-time air.

·      For a more shared sensory experience, gather round a large sofa setting with dual purpose; a sofa with an integrated lounger gives all the right angles for looking up and taking in the night sky.

·      Whether you are gazing for one or setting up the Moon Garden scene to share with others, a piston adjustable table moves from dinner to drinks height at the press of a lever so you can sit back and relax with a calming herbal tea.

·      Firepit tables - integral gas firepits allow you to stay warm on those chilly nights. Not only do the throw out 9kw of heat but they also provide welcome ambiance after dark. Attaching a griddle means you can also cook on them to keep everyone happy.

·      Then simply add scatter cushions for a pop of colour and extra cosiness. Indoor comfort for outdoor enjoyment.

Sights to be Seen  

Jonathan Sparkes continues, “Choice of lights and complementary pieces is an important factor when considering any outdoor living setup. Festoon lights are an obvious choice but a number of our Cantilever Parasols also come with integral lights. Running off Solar and battery power, they allow moon garden dwellers to create ambiance and prolong the entertainment long after the sun has gone down.”

Whilst afternoon gardens may favour brighter colours and bolder prints, a Moon Garden is intended to be a very calming place, and the palette must reflect that.

Remove harsh bulbs and bright lights in favour of creating a softer, more subtle glow. Add lanterns and candles for an ambient scene and enjoy the peace that the gentle flicker of a live flame can bring.  

 Sounds of Solace  

The garden has its own soundtrack of night-time music. But if music clears your mind, helping you relax, try making your own Moon Garden playlist. Whether that’s ambient acoustic music, soothing wildlife sounds or a mediation track, a Moon Garden can be tailored to your senses with what relaxes or focuses you best. Our parasol speakers can be attached to any of the Cantilever parasols, and connect via Bluetooth, complete with a remote to change the colour of the lights.

Lounge for Longer

A firepit will add ambience and atmosphere, as well as keeping you warm and fed if there’s some marshmallow toasting to be had.

💬Jonathan Sparkes, head of product innovation, adds, “With our Tuscan firepit table, the ceramic insert changes your setup from table to firepit in a moment, whilst still leaving room for drinks and dessert, so moving from mealtime to Moon Garden is simple and easy. With several place settings you and your loved ones can stay close, stay warm and eat by the fireside like never before.”

Boost your Health & Wellbeing: Embrace the Moon Garden

Bramblecrest spoke exclusively with Psychologist and TV Broadcaster Honey Langcaster-James about the potential health and wellbeing benefits of using a Moon Garden. Honey commented:  

 “We Brits are well-known around the world for loving our gardens, but most of us tend to only ever think about actually enjoying our garden spaces during the day, when the sun is shining. Those who live in warmer climates might actually do the opposite, using their outdoor spaces much more during the cooler evenings and less in the heat of the midday sun, and it turns out that they may be enjoying a host of psychological and well-being benefits as a result of that! 

From a health and well-being perspective, going out to your outdoor space can provide you with both a literal and figurative breath of fresh air, helping to boost your mood and separate your more productive daytime period from your evening wind-down. This can put you into a restful mindset which will likely better prepare you for a good night’s sleep. 

Our gardens tend to be less demanding spaces. They are places which are usually devoted to rest, relaxation, pleasure, health and well-being, and are only very rarely associated in our brains with work tasks or other demands upon us. This means that spending more time in our gardens, if we are lucky enough to have one, makes sense for our overall well-being and can help us better delineate our productive and more restful down times, ultimately helping us with a better work life balance.” 

Jonathan Sparkes concludes, “With the belief that relaxing outdoors requires the same ease and enjoyment of being indoors, great attention has been paid to the design, comfort, and practicality of each piece of furniture we develop/design. From dual purpose products like our height adjustable tables to our eco-friendly season-proof cushions which are made using recycled plastic bottles; every detail is considered to make the transition from indoor to outdoor seamless."

Bramblecrest designs, produces and sells a wide range of traditional and contemporary premium garden furniture to stockists in the UK and Europe as well as directly online.