Time for a tiki hut? With stores offering summer stock at discounts, there is a garden bar for every budget

Despite the bad weather, garden bars have been this summer’s hottest home trend and it’s not too late to celebrate.

Online searches for outdoor bars soared a whopping 358 percent in June compared to January, according to Toolstation, while budget hardware store The Range saw a massive 60 percent surge in online shoppers exploring its outdoor drinking opportunities this summer looked at.

Additionally, being late for the garden bar party is not necessarily a bad thing. Retailers are reducing their summer stocks. So before you buy directly from the manufacturer, look around at multiple retailers to find the best discount available.

So if you fancy sipping a pint in your own backyard pub or shaking a cocktail in the shade of a tiki hut, there’s a garden bar to suit every space and budget.

Join the Party: A tiki hut style garden bar is perfect for a Friday night out with friends or a family outing

Jenny Davis of Forest Garden, a supplier of garden timber products, says before you head to the garden center, first consider the space you have available.

“Smaller areas seem overwhelmed with the addition of a standalone bar, and this is where a fold-down wall bar comes in handy,” she said.

“A wall-mounted fold-down bar means the smallest garden, even the balcony, can become a party paradise.” Priced at £189.99, Forest Garden’s fold-down bar comes with a fold-out serving table and shelves for storing bottles and glasses delivered.

Online retailer A Place For Everything offers a more compact wall bar for £67.50.

For freestanding bars that fit in a modest back garden for less than £400, specialist Dunster offers the £384.99 Utopia Gable Gazebo Bar which is 2.22m wide and 1.20m deep.

The Range is selling a tiki-style bar from the Marbella collection for £239.99, complete with a thatched roof and two bar stools half the size.

To create the atmosphere of your bar, it could be placed in front of a high wall or a sturdy fence, giving you an opportunity to place shelves for your liquor and accessories.

Interior designer Siobhan Murphy recommends creating an eye-catching rainbow effect and grouping the colors of your spirits, mixers and glassware.

She says, “Invite nature into your garden bar by placing hanging planters, or create a vertical garden backdrop with wooden pallets for an organic vibe.”

Oversized potted plants can add a touch of luxury, and unique planters like repurposed teapots add to the whimsical.”

If you are looking for a closed bartender area you will have to spend a little more. It does mean, however, that you can use your bar as a storage space during the winter by closing the serving hatches.

Forest Garden’s £729.99, £1,039.99 with installation Shiplap Pent Garden Bar is weatherproof and lockable, allowing you to store a fridge for storing spirits overnight.

When the winter months roll around, replace the fridge with a lined box for blankets and pillows to keep you snug, and keep a fire pit or outdoor heater a safe distance away to stay warm while entertaining outdoors.

Garden bars are specially designed for DIY enthusiasts. However, if you’re not good with a hammer, many companies offer an installation service which costs an extra £200-300.

Bottom up! Garden bars don’t necessarily need to be put away for the winter as some are covered and can be warmed up with a heater (at a safe distance) or blankets

When your bar arrives, it will be unpainted and without the accessories, lights, or additional wall mounts shown in the ads. However, you have a blank canvas on which to create your own unique bar atmosphere.

Siobhan suggests creating a backdrop with nature-inspired outdoor wallpaper and a versatile countertop with patterned tile mosaics or marble faux vinyl.

If you’re looking for a pub experience in your backyard and are on a budget of just under £4,000, Dunster’s Severn Pub Shed Log Cabin could be for you if you have the space. Measuring 5m wide and 3m deep, it’s no small addition to your outdoor space.

Price of £3,959.98 includes structure and bar only – you must purchase your own pub sign, seating and beer tap. But there is space to hang a TV, space for a heater and doors to keep out the cold.

Anyone who wants to entertain their friends in the garden all year round can have fun with the £18,995 Ornate Garden Off Set Oval House Garden Pod from Cuckoo-land.

It seats ten people, has built-in heating, a Bluetooth soundbar and a sideboard that can be used as a bar. Installation is included, but you will need a flat, firm surface measuring at least 3.25m x 1.7m to set up on.

Although most garden bars are designed so that you do not need planning permission, it is always advisable to check the height of the bar at its highest point against local regulations. Buildings higher than 2.5m at the eaves may require planning permission.

If you are unsure, contact your local council.

Savings of the week… whimsical lamps

Bright side: Hetty Hare table lamp by Graham and Green – reduced from £165 to £89.10 (grahamandgreen.co.uk)

The nights are falling. If this makes you a little melancholy, an original lamp that makes you happy when you turn it on could be the answer.

Housewares companies seem to have caught the appeal of this type of lighting and you can find designs in all shapes and shades at reduced prices.

If splashing color lifts your spirits, Not On The High Street has an Anglepoise style desk lamp in Acid Yellow priced from £75 to £52.50.

The dealer offers lamps in the shape of birds and bears. But the range also includes a white Triceratops lamp, which cost £19.95 and is now £13.97 – for those who find dinosaurs cute rather than terrifying.

Graham and Green have a fun silver Hetty Hare table lamp with big floppy ears, reduced from £165 to £89.10.

Or enjoy the warm glow of the trendy Wayfair Trystan lamp with a shiny copper base and black shade, 30% off for £62.99.

ANNE ASHWORTH