It’s great to watch children at play in the sand at the seaside, or in the garden at home, but their safety from the sun is always at the forefront of parent’s minds in summer these days.

However, apart from ensuring that sunscreen has been applied, it’s a good idea to provide shade when they are resting, or having a spot of lunch.

The SPF50+ lightweight Compact Beach Shelter from ASPACE, the well-known children’s furniture and accessory company, is designed to protect children from the sun’s rays. Priced at £29.50.

Also for those children that are far too busy building sandcastles, for mum to keep re-applying the sun cream, ASPACE offers long or short-sleeved UV t-shirts for children. All parents will relax a little bettere (in their deckchairs!) knowing the kids are safe – UV T-Shirts can provide total peace of mind.

The new spring/summer catalogue from ASPACE, epitomises the best in children’s furniture, accessories and gifts. Available by post, in store or online.

Visit the ASPACE website, to see the complete children’s furniture ranges, including exclusive new bed designs, fantastic accessories and charming bedding.

Tel:  (0845) 872 2400

The Oakmasters’ Grill House is an innovative new idea for barbecue parties.

Seating up to 14 diners on sheepskin covered oak benches, around a central custom made barbecue grill, these garden barbecue buildings offer novel and luxurious entertaining:

• Each guest is able to cook the meat, fish and vegetables to their own taste, which means no difficult menu planning, baking disasters and last minute stresses, which can be frustrating with most dinner parties!

• The grill house is made from the finest green oak and offered in 3 sizes with the smallest for 4-6 diners, up to the largest for 12-14 diners. (Pictured here.)

• The central barbecue grill is mounted beneath a blacksmith’s steel chimney, which efficiently draws the smoke upwards and out through the roof.

• This relaxing retreat can even be used all year round, thus maximizing the use of the building; expertly designed with large removable windows to allow the breeze through in summer, whilst keeping the chill out in winter.

Supplied in kit form the Grill House can be easily erected on site, either by Oakmasters in England, Wales, and Ireland by region, or your own builder. Prices start from £10,016 + VAT.

Get set for an innovative garden dining experience like no other - Bon Appétit!

To view the extensive range of Oakmasters buildings and oakwork, please visit the website

Tel: +44 (0)1444 455 455

Whether as an avid gardener, you are looking for a grand glasshouse, or a smaller greenhouse for a cottage garden, to help you to ‘grow your own’, Griffin can design an entirely bespoke structure to suit your requirements, and sympathetic to the original features of your home.

This includes their smart glazing system, which creates the look of wood minus the continuous maintenance headaches, which usually accompany it.

A Griffin Glasshouse is designed to last and be an attractive feature of your property for many years. Every element is planned to provide both aesthetic and durable finishes, ensuring you have an attractive, top quality glasshouse with virtually no maintenance.

Griffin Glasshouses design, build and install beautiful aluminium glasshouses to the highest standard, to suit their clients’ exact specification and individual requirements.

As specialists in their field, they can also assist you with the best solutions for benching, cold frames, heating, irrigation, internal water storage, shading and ventilation.

For more information about the complete range of Griffin Glasshouses, please visit the website.

Tel: (01962) 772512

As the family grows and our possessions increase, we all strive to make the best of the space we have with clever storage solutions.

But unless you’re lucky enough to already have all the bedroom and living space you need, there will undoubtedly come a time when you need to consider upsizing to accommodate your needs.

But it needn’t mean a costly extension or stressful move - a garden building could be the answer to your prayers.

Forest, a leading UK garden timber company, have a new range of log cabins and summer houses in a variety of sizes and prices to suit most budgets and requirements.

Log Cabins
New for 2011, Forest has introduced a range of beautifully designed timber log cabins for its garden buildings collection.

If you’re looking for an office space, craft workshop or study, a playroom for the kids, gym space or even a spare bedroom for visitors, or an entertainment room, each of the premium log cabins have been designed as a solution.

Priced from £1,249 to £7,999 RRP, with sizes from 2.2 x 2.2m to 5 x 5m.

Featured here is the Kington Log Cabin. 4.8m x 3m / 34mm log thickness. RRP from £3,749.

For added peace of mind, each log cabin features a Euro locking mechanism on the doors.
Forest offers a full assembly service, which is available throughout mainland UK.

Summer-houses
Forest has added five attractive new summer-houses to their collection. Made from 12mm shiplap, with rounded window and door finishes, as well as stylish window and door furniture and styrene glazed windows and doors.
Each design is finished with dip treated, factory applied preservative.

For example:

The Aurora Summer-house is available in two sizes and has a contemporary design with sweeping curved roof, double doors and large rectangular windows.
(Large 2 x 2 x 1m RRP £1,499 and Small 2 x 2 x 3m RRP £1,099).

Forest’s products can be purchased in more than 1,000 garden centres and builders merchants in the UK. All products are FSC certified.

For further information about Forest, details of stockist locations, home delivery options and prices -

Tel: (0844) 248 9801.

Whether you are looking to entertain friends or wile away the afternoon with a good book, a delightful gazebo from Crown Pavilions is just the place.

Made by highly skilled carpenters in Oxfordshire, these attractive garden buildings are built to the very highest of quality standards, the result being a garden haven that will confidently withstand whatever our lovely British weather can throw at it.

There are several collections to choose from as well as a deluxe bespoke service, for those customers with extra special requirements.

Crown specifies only the finest materials for their products such as Western Red Canadian Cedar, European Redwood, and South African Reed Thatch.

Besides offering superior quality and excellent thermal qualities, these materials are also specified for their environmental advantages; Western Red Cedar for example has been determined the most sustainable
building material in recent studies.

Every extra has also been thought of and catered for, from blinds and cushions to steps and heaters, so you really don’t need to worry about a thing.

In our picture is the SP001 one of Crown’s 3 larger pavilions, designed to accommodate Hot Tubs and Swim Spas as an option. Alternatively, they are perfect as an outside Pool House, Games Room, Gym, Office, or even as an outside bedroom. Prices start from £15,950.

The ‘dragon’ Duncan Bannatyne, commented on a  recent installation at The Bannatyne Spa Hotel “I would definitely recommend Crown Pavilions as they were efficient, professional and the workmanship was excellent”.

Prices start from £5,500 for a gazebo seating 6-8 people and sizes go up to an 18-seat structure, so why not treat your garden this Spring?

And if you want to really indulge, the new Spa Collection even comes with your own hot tub. Now that’s what I call luxury!

To view the Crown Pavilions collection of garden buildings, please visit the website.

Tel: (01491) 612820

TimberWindows.com is pleased to announce the launch of The English Glasshouse.

The company, which produces bespoke timber orangeries and conservatories, as well as roof lanterns and pool houses, is already setting new standards for the industry.

With each building constructed individually to suit not only the style of house, but also to take into account the preferences and style of the Owner - the fact that there is nothing mass-produced is obvious.

The honest charm and character that shines through is unmistakable.
Whether you’re looking for something contemporary or traditional and whatever size your home, The English Glasshouse can create a garden room for you that will not only add value to your property, but will also change the way you live at home.

Giles Henman, Conservatory Director of TimberWindows.com, says: “Our mission, with The English Glasshouse, has been to bring 21st century standards of insulation and security, while not compromising on design and ensuring each English Glasshouse requires little maintenance and is built to last.

“We have taken the very best American, Scandinavian and European technology and married it with peerless British design, to create glass buildings that are both beautiful and a joy to live with.”

Conservatories and orangeries by The English Glasshouse are the only ones in the UK to be manufactured exclusively from engineered hardwood (multi-layered timber sections laid out at opposing grains) and oak, ensuring many problems usually associated with wood, such as warping and twisting, have been eliminated.

The English Glasshouse offers a unique guarantee of up to 30 years and prides itself on building strong relationships and offering the very best customer service.

To view the stunning range of bespoke glasshouses and orangeries, please visit the English Glasshouse website.

Tel: (0845) 652 7365.

Apropos’ latest lead figures have shown an increase in the number of enquiries for a conservatory kitchen.

Customers are looking to brighten up their kitchen areas, by moving them into an aluminium and glass conservatory.

They can also have the option to add folding sliding doors, which will enable them to open out the kitchen and let in the fresh air.

According to the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), adding a new kitchen to your property can be more appealing to buyers and can add as much as 4% to its value; adding a conservatory to a property can be very simple and cost effective.

Apropos structures are designed especially for the clients to suit their needs and can be designed to fit any space for any size kitchen. Apropos’ aluminium and glass structures come with a large choice of different colour frames to suit any house from the ultra modern town house to a traditional farm house.

Peter Holland, Regional Sales Manager at Apropos comments “We have seen a significant increase in the number of kitchen conservatories that we are designing for our clients. More people these days are looking to make their homes brighter and more airy, so are looking to us to help them achieve their dream home.”

Apropos glass and aluminium structures start from £12,000.

For further information or to order a brochure visit the Apropos website.

Tel: (0800) 328 0033.

Most of us enjoy the summer months; relaxing in the garden or enjoying a barbeque with friends there is no better time to enjoy your garden during the summer.

We don’t always get the ideal weather for it though and often what starts as a nice balmy afternoon, can soon get interrupted by gusts of wind or the odd rain shower.

The Barbeque Cabin from Green Stamp allows you to cook in the open air with all the comforts of your home around you without having to spend your afternoon worried as to what the sky is doing:

• Made from environmentally conscious FSC and PEFC certified timber from sustainable managed forests.

• This outdoor cabin is an ideal outdoor kitchen or barbeque area.

• It provides a solid base, shelter and there are various storage options available.

• The robust and contemporary cabin provides plenty of room for even the largest barbeques or cooking appliances. Price - £1750.

Other cabins available are:

The ideal Open Outdoor Cabin. Made from top quality North European pine timber, which is FSC and PEFC certified, from sustainable managed forests.

• The cabin is pressure treated and carries a long and reassuring 10 year guarantee against wood rot.

• The walls have attractive design profiling, and the felted roof incorporates a drainage system. Priced at £2450.

The excellent Outdoor Living module, is easy to adapt to your own design.

• Choose from completely open, partly open or one side completely closed, by placing 3 wall elements near each other in between 2 square posts. Price £1850.

To view the different cabin options visit the Green Stamp website.

Tel:   (01637) 854717

Create a garden hideaway for summer with Forest’s latest collection of decorative timber arches and arbours – and watch the sun set whilst sipping champagne with your loved one.

Forest, the leading UK garden timber manufacturer – based in the leafy county of Worcestershire, has created a distinctive range of arches and arbours that will help turn any garden into a romantic retreat; and with a few simple touches you’ll feel like a world away from everyday life – well we can all dream can’t we!

It’s all about the Arch.

• With a traditional pergola, classic curved and rustic timber arches available in a variety of sizes, Forest offers an arch for every taste and garden.

• Simply plant your favourite flowers at the base of the structure, to grow up and over the arch (clematis, honeysuckle or climbing or rambling roses work well) and watch your ‘garden of love’ bloom into life.

• For an immediate effect, why not intertwine a string of outdoor garden lights to create an inviting atmosphere.

Cosy up in your Arbour Haven.

• With a variety of design styles, shapes and sizes, Forest’s collection of timber arbours are another perfect addition to your garden retreat.

• With just a few simple touches, like scatter cushions, candle lanterns and a cosy throw, you can finish off your romantic hideaway – perfect for reading a book, or enjoying that all-important glass of wine.

• A corner structure is the ultimate in cosiness. And the ‘Monaco Arbour Seat’ pictured here, is no exception –comfortably seating up to 4 people for a sociable afternoon. (RRP £499.99, 202 x 199 x 199cm)

Where to buy.
Forest’s products can be purchased in more than 1,000 garden centres and builder’s merchants up and down the country. Home delivery is also available on a wide range of products.

To view the ranges, plus details of stockist locations, visit the Forest Garden website. 

Tel: (0844) 248 9801

Conservatory specialist, Westbury Conservatories, established in January 1990, have been building top quality bespoke conservatories, pool houses, orangeries and garden rooms for twenty years.

The privately owned company has built an impressive reputation for design, quality, durability and ease of maintenance.

The Westbury service employs a full team of experts ensuring complete control of every aspect of every job, from initial design to the final coat of paint.

The Westbury commitment is testament to their impeccable service. Managing Director Jonathan Hey personally inspects every completed conservatory, to ensure they meet the toughest quality standards.

The design team are first and foremost architecturally driven, ensuring you get the right conservatory or garden room to suit both your property and your lifestyle.

They are also environmentally conscious; every aspect of the business has been checked against strict green credentials, from a wood re-burner, which recycles the waste wood to heat the factory, to ensuring all building materials are sustainable.

Featured here is a Traditional Timber Conservatory In Surrey.

• This fabulous rectory needed its own touch of modern living.

• A bespoke solution, creating a large glass room and a permanent opening from the kitchen, meant that the beautiful grounds could be enjoyed to the full.

• Modern living now seems to require one very large room and this is a perfect example of how classical design can be married with contemporary living.

Jonathan Hey, Managing Director of Westbury Conservatories comments, “Our aim is to make building a conservatory, orangery, garden room or pool-house as painless as possible.

Over the last 20 years we’ve developed a process that not only ensures you get the right design to suit your home and lifestyle, but that the job is completed with the minimum of fuss.

Our expert team of reliable tradesmen provide a professional service, complete every job to the exact specifications and always finish on time.”

Visit the Westbury Conservatories website to view their impressive ranges of garden buildings.

Tel: (01371) 876576