CREATE YOUR OWN GREENSPACE

BECAUSE GREEN REALLY IS THE NEW GREY,SAYS

Sage accents, faux foliage, grasses and leafy illustrations are all bringing fresh life into home decor right now

As springtime hots up and buds bloom, the temptation to foragefor greenery and channel new beginnings is hard to resist. In fact, John Lewis is even citing green as the new grey,with aspike in sales for all things green.

“Avocado has been in the style wilderness since those Seventies bathtubs were ripped out in favour of dazzling white,” says John Lewis colour expert, Melanie Archer (pictured). “But now it’s finding love again among anew generation, who want some colour and joy in their lives.

“What we are seeing is far more than green shoots –with the colour poised to overtake grey as the nation’s interior shade of choice,” Archer adds.

Here’s our edit of the best green pieces to bag now…

John Lewis wovencane dining chair,£179, John Lewis

This wicker dining chair has alovely country house feel, and conjures restful vibes just looking at it.

George green embroidered cushion (second from right), £10; green check throw (hanging on hook), £20; green riverside cottage print throw (draped on sofa), £20, and green textured vase, £12, wovenwood basket, £15, Direct.asda

This contemporary collection reinforces our love for nature, with abstract prints, natural wood finishes and organic textures.

Rose melamine side plate, £9.50; dinner plate, £10.50, and beaker,£7.50, Sophie Allport

With spring veggies coming into season, this delightful rose print picnic or tableware was made for spinach salads tossed with spring onions and adrizzle of olive oil.

Artichokeceramic vase, £30, Next With artichokes at their peak, now’s the time to top this fetching vase with fragrant viburnum

Habitat twisted taper candles, pack of 4, £8, Habitat Easy on the eye, these harmonious hues make achic centrepiece with a crystal clear candle holder

Oliver Bonas lila floral green ceramic jug, £34.50, Oliver Bonas

Anything you serve up will taste that much more refreshing in this joyful jug.

Trailing artificial foliage (top left), £8; eucalyptus in black vase (second shelf), £7; leaf vase (top shelf), £6 (other items from a selection), B&M stores

When it comes to creating achill-out space, consider grouping your lush greenery and decos at various heights for balanced impact.

Palm leaf in w £19, Matalan Faux foliage is h moment, and th statement palm will enhance an space.

George Riverside bath range: green waves to range, from £8; green bath mat, £9; green lil towelrange, from £5, natural wovenstorage with lid, £10 (other ite aselection), Direct.asd Mix’n’match this gorgeou towel and bathroom accce range for aspa-like haven hite dimpled pot,

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FlowerPower on the edge

Garden edges don’t tend to get quite as much attention as the rest,soselect easy shrubs that don’t need special treatment, such as ornamental elders, or Sambucus, which offer domed flowers in summer and black foliage and berries in winter, she suggests.

‘Black Lace’(syn.‘Eva’) and its sibling ‘Black Beauty’ (syn. ‘Gerda’) havedusky elaborate foliage and pale-pink flowers that arefavoured by hoverflies.

“These dusky ornamental elders make excellent additions to asummer border of perennials, because the domed pink flowers slot into summer’spastel palette with ease. The dark foliage creates acontrast and it’sparticularly useful at highlighting pale-browngrasses, such as miscanthus.”

The dark elder foliage would look sensational next to the late-spring flowers of the snowball tree, Viburnum opulus ‘Roseum’, she suggests. The flowers of this large shrub also cut well, so it’s afloral favourite with flowerarrangers.