Give your garden a lift with robust rattan furniture

Stylish wicker is low-maintenance and works well with colourful or patterned textiles

Rattan inspiration from Cuckooland

Sklum

Wicker tray with handles, €50, studiobhomeware.com

Placemat, €9.99, H&M Home; hm.com

Hanging chair, €479.95, sklum.com

Drinks trolley, €330, salternativefurniture.ie

Cutlery holder, €35, Dwell; dwellbyeilishrickard.com

Garden sofa, €332, hombase.co.uk

Indoor/outdoor jute rug, €135, rugvista.com

Thermos, €146, hedgeroe.com

Four-piece rattan cutlery set, €34.95, sklum.com

I have a general rule when designing or styling a room or space: everything has to be easy to live with. Especially the garden in my case, since it hardly gets a look-in for 10 months of the year and, when it does, it needs to be low-maintenance. That means aesthetic, easy-on-the-eye furniture that works well with colours and patterns, accessories that can take a bit of a beating and a look that's casual, elegant and comfy.

Hanging chair, €479.95, sklum.com

In my other life, I’m living in a Hamptons-style pad complete with a garden blooming with hydrangeas and stylish rattan loungers (with a pool on the lower lawn). In reality, there's a trampoline, a slide, a garden studio, two sheds and enough deflated footballs to keep a dog park happy. But I do like my garden to be multifunctional — somewhere to dine, to read and relax, somewhere for kids to play and a place to entertain. No mean feat.

Indoor/outdoor jute rug, €135, rugvista.com

Rattan, cane and seagrass furniture has always belonged to summer, so if in doubt, consider natural woven materials for that lazy Long Island look that's timeless and versatile and reminiscent of a more glamorous time or place but still inviting and comfortable. Hamptons abode aside, there's no better place to kick back on a rattan chair than your own garden or patio. Plus, we are not blessed with New York's hot summers, so having flexible indoor-outdoor furniture that works in any season or room and which you can pair with plenty of plants and textiles is a win-win.

Garden sofa, €332, hombase.co.uk

Rattan originated in Asia and was used for making furniture due to its flexible and durable nature. It became a fixture in most people's homes in the 1970s and 1980s, usually in the form of oversized cane chairs. Now with sustainability, texture and nostalgia at the forefront of design trends, it's been making quite a comeback, transitioning from its tropical retreat vibe into a more contemporary home yet maintaining that easy, laid-back and informal feel that makes it so easy to live with, as seen in designer David Netto's collaboration with artisan-focused, London-based brand Soane Britain. The result was a sleek range of rattan lighting that riffs on vintage furniture and 1930s airplane seats with an English country bent.

Thermos, €146, hedgeroe.com

Similarly, Danish brand Ferm Living continues to use both raw and treated rattan and bamboo in several product lines, from baskets to mirrors and lampshades, twisting the traditional look into something more playful.

Wicker tray with handles, €50, studiobhomeware.com

The ongoing trend for rattan has made it easy to find in shops. Depending on the size of your plot, there's modular sofas, bistro sets, hanging chairs and loungers from the likes of Rathwood, Outdoor Furniture Ireland, The Orchard, Homebase, Woodie's, Kave Home, Sklum, Ikea and Jysk. Retailers haven't stopped there, giving everything from rugs, placemats, jugs, glasses, vases, mirrors, plant stands and poufs a chic wicker makeover.

Four-piece rattan cutlery set, €34.95, sklum.com

A modular rattan sofa from Homebase with crisp cotton covers and linen cushions paired with a cane side table from Dwell or Sklum instantly lifts a garden. Jute placemats, coasters and table accessories such as a rattan cutlery holder or tray add that elegant and casual look to an outdoor table (Hedgeroe Home, M&S, Sklum, The Designed Table).

Drinks trolley, €330, salternativefurniture.ie

Finish it off with indoor-outdoor jute rugs (Rugvista) and a bamboo or rattan drinks trolley (S Alternative Furniture) for those summer cocktails.