Outdoor Gardening Table With Sink

The arrival of summer and warm, balmy nights gives us the perfect opportunity to transform our gardens into at-home cinemas. They can create a cosy space for the whole family to relax outdoors or a romantic nook for couples looking for isolated date night ideas.

So, from the initial tech outlay you'll need to those finishing touches to help create atmosphere during the movie, here's everything you need to carve out a proper outdoor cinema space in your own garden.

As part of our Celebrate Summer virtual event (8th & 9th August) Jonny Watts from the CL Events Team will be showing us how to set up and style an at-home garden cinema from his home in Cornwall – tech know-how, atmospheric accessories and all the scatter cushions you need included.

When? 3pm on Sunday 9th August JOIN EVENT HERE

Country Living

At-home garden cinema screens

First things first — you can't have a real cinema experience without a large screen, so invest in a decent projector. For the best quality picture, aim for one that has (at least) 3,000 lumens — this will make for a bright and crisp display. Remember that you might need an extension cable if you're planning on setting up somewhere away from the house and go for a portable model so it can be kept safely inside when you're done.

As for the screen, you could hang up an old white sheet, of course, but there are plenty of inexpensive options available that will create a better experience overall. If you don't have a suitable wall to hang a screen on, opt for a freestanding one. These will roll up neatly when not in use, ready for storing in the shed.

Finally, you'll need a stand for your laptop and the projector, so you can position the display correctly without balancing your expensive tech precariously on a ladder or a chair.

Mini Projector Portable video-projector

XuanPad amazon.co.uk

£69.99

EB-S41 Projector, 3300 Lumens

Epson johnlewis.com

£299.99

Projector Q9 Native 1080P HD Video Projector

ELEPHAS amazon.co.uk

CineBeam PH550G Projector

Adjustable Trolley for Laptop and Projector

Proper amazon.co.uk

£55.60

120" 16:9 HD/3D Motorised Screen + Remote Control

Homegear amazon.co.uk

60" Portable Freestanding Floor Projector Screen,

D4P amazon.co.uk

Fast Fold Portable 100" Projector Screen

Duronic amazon.co.uk

£299.99

Garden sound systems

If you want to totally immerse yourself in a big screen cinema experience, your laptop's speakers just aren't going to cut it. There are plenty of speakers designed specifically for garden use, so choose the right option and they'll see you through summer barbecues and lockdown garden meets, as well as all your al fresco film nights.

Tabblue Bluetooth Table Speaker

Steepletone notonthehighstreet.com

US$248.10

Surround Speakers

Bose® johnlewis.com

£279.00

BOOM 3 Bluetooth Waterproof Portable Speaker

Ultimate Ears johnlewis.com

£99.00

Diggit Twin Pack Outdoor Freestanding Speakers

KitSound amazon.co.uk

£59.13

SoundCore 2 Portable Bluetooth Speaker with 12W Stereo Sound

Anker amazon.com

US$43.99

Bluetooth Speaker 5.0

Tronsmart amazon.co.uk

£56.08

Garden lighting to set the mood

While you might need to turn these off while the projector is running, a decent lighting scheme can help zone the area — and they make your garden look lovely. We think that a run of festoon lighting would look great zigzagged across your patio, with the projector and seating area below.

If you'd like to keep some lights on while you watch the film, hang some solar lanterns, which are generally less powerful than mains-powered options, from fences or trees nearby. Outdoor candles also work really well, like these from Holistic.

LIGHTING

lighting gardentrading.co.uk (used in Celebrate Summer video)

£30.00

Squirrel LED Festoon Lights

Oliver Bonas oliverbonas.com

£35.10

15m Warm White Connectable Festoon Lights

Lights4Fun lights4fun.co.uk

£49.99

1.6m Shepherd's Hook Festoon Pole

Lights4Fun lights4fun.co.uk

£19.99

Lucena Tassel Solar Lantern Trio

Lights4Fun lights4fun.co.uk

£39.99

3 Cloud White Miami Solar Lanterns

Lights4Fun lights4fun.co.uk

£34.99

Rattan Solar Powered Garden Lantern

John Lewis & Partners johnlewis.com

£45.00

Porto Solar Garden Lantern

Lights4Fun lights4fun.co.uk

£21.99

Time to get cosy

Once you've got your tech set-up sorted and the lighting just right, it's time to finish off the area with some comfy seats. You might already have a set of outdoor furniture, but if not, set the right mood with a cosy beanbag chair or snuggle up on a weatherproof cushion that can be neatly packed away when not in use (some of these can be used inside as well). In a pinch, camping chairs can provide some additional seating on a budget and be stored away easily afterwards.

We'd also recommend laying an outdoor rug down on your patio; this will give you somewhere clean to place your floor cushions during use and will add some additional colour and texture to your home's outside spaces. It also helps to create that coveted inside/outside living vibe that sees your garden as a seamless extension of your home.

Emily Bond cushion (used in Celebrate Summer video)

Emily Bond emilybond.co.uk

US$30.00

Cozumel Stripe Indoor Outdoor Runner

Rajput Ribbed Cotton Floor Cushion

Homescapes homescapesonline.com

£6.99

Folding Padded Camping Chairs, set of 2

SUNMER amazon.co.uk

£89.99

Bean Bag Chair

Jetcloud amazon.co.uk

£30.99

Ellis Indoor Outdoor Floor Cushion

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