For a lesson on how to create a charming indoor/outdoor dining area for summer nights, we take you to a small backyard in London’s Crofton Park neighborhood. There food writer Mina Holland and musician Freddie Denham-Webb have created an oasis in the city—complete with an American-style Big Green Egg grill.
What prompted the American barbecue invasion? “We’re on a street of what I figure were quite experimental Victorian houses. Ours is a purpose-built maisonette, and opposite there are cleverly laid-out cottages. It feels like it was a bit of a testing ground for small-space living,” Holland told The Modern House.
Here’s everything you need to get the look:
![from inside, a view of the dining table and benches is framed by the open doorw 17](http://www.gardenista.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/mina-holland-south-london-refurbish-the-modern-house-9-733x1100.jpg)
See more of the house’s interiors on Remodelista.
![big green egg mina holland south london refurbish the modern house 10 733x489](http://www.gardenista.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/big-green-egg-mina-holland-south-london-refurbish-the-modern-house-10-1466x977-733x489.jpg)
Exterior & Facade
![the brick facade and trim is painted with pure brilliant white by dulux to refl 19](http://www.gardenista.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/dulux-paint-pure-brilliant-white-733x599.png)
Dulux has a collection of exterior paints resistant to UV rays and tailored to the surface you plan to paint. For brick, see the range of rainproof Dulux Paint Mixing Weathershield Smooth Masonry Paints.
![the back door and transom window are painted in farrow & ball\2\17;s 20](http://www.gardenista.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/farrow-and-ball-green-blue-paint-733x517.png)
Farrow & Ball’s exterior paints are available in both eggshell and gloss finishes.
Lighting
![with a galvanized finish, the original warehouse gooseneck light can be customi 21](http://www.gardenista.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/industrial-sconce-galvanized-gooseneck-outdoor-lighting-733x519.png)
Garden Shed
![a similar \10 by 8 foot peaked from wooden traditional garden summerhouse with 22](http://www.gardenista.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/wooden-garden-shed-peaked-roof-waltons-uk-733x503.png)
Paint the shed to match the house, as Mina Holland did, to give the garden a cohesive look.
Fence
![painted black, horizontal fence privacy panels are tall enough to provide a neu 23](http://www.gardenista.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/grange-wood-fence-privacy-panels-733x479.png)
For more stylish fence panels, see 10 Easy Pieces: Privacy Fence Panels.
Furnishings
![the big green egg charcoal grill is available in seven sizes, including a mini 24](http://www.gardenista.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/big-green-egg-mini-max-countertop-grill-733x525.png)
![a bier garden set includes an 86.6 inch long table and two benches. it is avail 25](http://www.gardenista.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/german-biergarten-table-benches-for-sale-733x516.png)
The table seats sits comfortably. Says Holland: “We have a lot of friends over, but we tend not to invite more than four at a time, so there’s six of us. That might change in summer because the garden feels like we have an extra room.”
![galvanized watering can haws buy at goop](http://www.gardenista.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/galvanized-watering-can-haws-buy-at-goop-733x518.png)
![a six pocket terra cotta strawberry pot has openings that make it easy to pick 27](http://www.gardenista.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/terracotta-strawberry-planter-crocus-uk-walmart-733x519.png)
Are you furnishing an outdoor space? See:
- Steal This Look: The Ultimate Summery Outdoor Kitchen
- Steal This Look: A Summery Bellport, NY, Porch, by Elizabeth Roberts
- Two for One: A Courtyard Connects Old and New in a San Francisco Home by Architect Ryan Leidner
N.B.: This story is an update; the original post ran on April 27, 2021, and is reappearing here as part of our Summer from the Archive issue.
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