Shirlie Kemp's garden terrace with firepit is the definition of cosy chic
Anyone who follows Shirlie Kempknows that her home is her passion project.
The former Wham! dancer and her husband Martin bought a derelict Victorian home, renovated it entirely, and documented their journey on their Instagram account, @maisonnumer9.
But their garden is equally stunning and boasts an outdoor terrace that is the definition of cosy chic.
One terrace area they have in their garden is located far down their garden just outside the converted pig shed they've affectionately named Piglet.
The area, centred in the middle of their sprawling lawn, has been fitted with stylish decking and Shirlie and Martin have erected a pergola which covers the terrace entirely.
The pergola by nature is roofless but is covered in flowers making the area even more beautiful.
The couple, who married in the late 1980s and are parents to singer Harley Moon and former Capital FM Radio DJ Roman, have also placed two wooden deck chairs outside Piglet and a few steps away they also have a huge firepit – making it perfectly cosy while sitting outside on chilly evenings.
The area also has an outdoor dining table and chairs, a bench, plus a barbeque, so when hosting in the summer the family can enjoy al fresco dining.
Not only has the main building been a major project for the couple, but the sprawling outdoor area has taken "years" for them to transform, with Shirlie admitting that there's still more to be done before it becomes her dream vision.
The outhouse was originally a pig shed that the former popstars were tempted to rip down when they bought their property back in 2021, but instead, the Pepsi & Shirlie singer had a vision to transform it into a separate building in their garden.
Piglet is stylish as well as functional. It's clad in wooden panels with black metal-rimmed doors and windows, giving it an overall rustic feel. Inside, the converted outhouse is a floral haven.
Shirlie uses the area as her studio and it's naturally filled with workspace areas and is draped from top to bottom in gorgeous foliage.
Elsewhere, Shirlie is looking forward to embracing the change of season very soon. Discussing the plans she has for her garden on Instagram she said: "It always amazes me that when [you're] out in the garden this time of year when it's freezing, wet and muddy that it will all come back.
"I find the winters so hard but the promise of spring is so exciting. There's so much I'd like to add to the garden but I keep looking back to realise how far we have come."
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
25 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Dua Lipa confirms long-speculated engagement to actor Callum Turner, gushes over decision to ‘grow old together'
Dua Lipa has officially confirmed her engagement to actor Callum Turner. The 'Training Season' singer, 29, spoke of their plans to wed in the July issue of British Vogue. 'Yeah, we're engaged,' she said. 'It's very exciting.' Lipa's confirmation of the engagement comes six months after fans first speculated that Turner, 35, had proposed. In an Instagram post made by Lipa on Dec. 24, eagle-eyed fans noticed what appeared to be a diamond ring on her finger. The singer continued sporting the ring, often posting photos that featured it on her Instagram. She never formally addressed the speculation until now. 'I'm obsessed with it. It's so me,' she told British Vogue of the ring, which Turner had made after receiving input from Lipa's best friends and sister, Rina. 'It's nice to know the person that you're going to spend the rest of your life with knows you very well.' The British pop star admitted that, until now, she'd 'never really understood the weight' of getting engaged. 'This decision to grow old together, to see a life and just, I don't know, be best friends forever — it's a really special feeling,' she told British Vogue. Lipa and Turner were first spotted together in January 2024 after the London premiere of the miniseries Masters of the Air, in which the actor stars. They were reportedly seen slow dancing at the event's afterparty. Romance rumors continued to mount in the following months, as they were seen stepping out together: They were spotted sharing a kiss at Sushi Park in Los Angeles and packed on the PDA during a walk in Beverly Hills. Lipa made their romance Instagram official in July 2024, when she included Turner in a post from Glastonbury Festival. Since then, the Fantastic Beasts actor has consistently made appearances on Lipa's Instagram. They've yet to set a wedding date, but Lipa is considering what she'd want to wear for the special occasion. 'I want to finish my tour, Callum's shooting, so we're just enjoying this period,' she told British Vogue. 'I've never been someone who's really thought about a wedding, or dreamed about what kind of bride I would be. All of a sudden I'm like: 'Oh, what would I wear?'' While they're typically private about their relationship, Turner mentioned the singer in an interview at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2025. The 35-year-old actor was in attendance for the premiere of his forthcoming film Eternity when a reporter asked him who he'd want to spend eternity with. 'My girlfriend,' he replied with a smile. Lipa and Turner made their Met Gala debut as a couple in May. The Radical Optimism singer most recently featured Turner in an Instagram photo dump on June 9.
Yahoo
35 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Adorable video of 5-month-old baby ‘apologizing' to plane passengers melts hearts: ‘Would never be mad at that face'
This baby's cry in the sky wasn't going to fly. A mom has gone viral on Instagram after sharing a video of her husband making their 5-month-old daughter apologize to fellow fliers following a long-haul plane ride. Hannah Chestnut posted the cheeky footage to her Instagram account, @themumcrew, following an 8-hour flight from London, England, to Atlanta late last month. 'We told her she had to apologize to everyone face-to-face for what she put them through on the flight,' Chestnut captioned the clip, which clocked up 4 million views and thousands of comments. In the video, Chestnut's hubby, Joseph, is seen cradling baby Ava at the aircraft's door as other travelers disembark. 'Ava kept smiling at all the other passengers as they got off the plane. So I decided to film it as her apologizing to all of them,' Chestnut told Newsweek. On the flight from the UK, Chestnut alleged that Ava 'did surprisingly well,' so the video was all in jest. However, the family subsequently boarded a connecting flight in Atlanta, with the tired tot acting up on that journey. 'Ironically, on the flight right after the one we got off of in the video, Ava was super loud and upset, so that was the flight we actually should've filmed the video after,' Chestnut quipped. To no surprise, the Internet had a lot to say about Chestnut's jokey video. Replies under the Instagram reel ranged from pleasant banter to gushing baby fever to all-out rage. 'I never understand why people get pissed from a baby crying on a flight. It's a baby, they cry. It's some crying one day out of your life. Put some earplugs in. Grow up,' suggested one frank user. 'I would never be mad at that face,' agreed another. 'Babies and children deserve to exist in public spaces without needing to apologize,' stated one compassionate commenter. However, others were less impressed. 'Saying this as a new mom of a 4-month-old… NOBODY cares about your baby. Let them board the plane without you bothering them for social media attention,' one fellow mother commented. 'What is it with parents thinking everyone wants to look at their baby,' agreed another jaded viewer. However, Chestnut has taken the criticism in her stride. 'It's been so fun to see the video go viral, and we never expected such a silly moment to reach so many people so quickly,' the mom concluded.
Yahoo
35 minutes ago
- Yahoo
I created my own funeral photo montage — so I know I'll be remembered at my hottest
What was meant to be a low-key night of snacks and laughs took an unexpectedly emotional turn for two best friends. Instead of their usual catch-up routine, Alexis arrived at Jasmine's home with a laptop and a surprise: a fully edited 24-minute funeral montage of herself, complete with dramatic music, touching tributes, and heartfelt messages. 'I made my funeral montage,' Alexis told People she said as she casually as she connected her computer to the TV. Jasmine was in shock. 'Girl, get this out of my house!' she said. The moment, captured in a now-viral TikTok video, resonated with thousands online. 'Having a morbid best friend who works in funeral and cemetery services is not for the weak,' Jasmine captioned the video. Alexis has spent over six years working in the funeral industry, and for her, confronting mortality isn't unusual. She says her Mexican-American background, which embraces death as a natural part of life, influenced her perspective. 'I've always been a little morbid and creepy,' she admits with a laugh. The idea for the montage stemmed from recent personal events. A motorcycle accident involving Jasmine's cousin left the family scrambling due to a lack of legal or end-of-life plans. 'He's a young man, so he had no will, he had no nothing,' Alexis said. 'That was one of the questions I was asking: does he have anything like a power of attorney? Who's making the decisions here?' Fortunately, he survived, but the incident made her realize how important it was to plan ahead and inspired her to take control of her own legacy. Alexis didn't stop at just the video. She's written her will, assigned power of attorney and even designated who will inherit her favorite Star Wars t-shirts. 'I'm really particular, and I don't trust anybody to do things the way that I want to do it,' she said. 'If this happens to me, you make sure I'm right. Don't have me looking all crazy with two different-shaped eyebrows. I got to have my nails done. I want a specific color of flowers.' Though Jasmine initially reacted with humor and disbelief, the montage soon had both women in tears. 'By pre-planning and getting your affairs in order and even doing stuff like this, you're unburdening your family from having to do this,' Alexis explained. 'I've been in this situation where I've had to put this together at the time of somebody's passing, and you're just miserable.' Going viral caught them by surprise. Jasmine originally shared it privately on Instagram, thinking it was just another funny moment between friends. But viewers were captivated by the blend of dark humor and genuine love between the two women. 'It just so happened to go viral,' Jasmine said. 'At the time, I wasn't thinking about that. But I was like, let me show all the people that follow me what this dummy's up to today. Because it's always something with her.' Some commenters expressed concern that Alexis was 'manifesting' her death, but both women dismiss that. 'Planning your funeral is no different from writing a will,' Jasmine said. 'It's not about expecting the worst. It's about being prepared.' For Alexis, laughter is a key part of her approach to life and death. 'I just want everyone to be miserable without me,' she joked. But she also wants them to smile and laugh, too. Her perspective has influenced Jasmine as well. 'I used to be super afraid of death. Like, don't even talk about it,' Jasmine admitted. 'But being friends with her, going through my own medical traumas and things, I've learned to cope with it through comedy, laughing, and accepting it. We all know we're going to pay taxes, and we're all going to die. None of us know when.' Their friendship, built on honesty, laughter and shared experience, has helped both women embrace difficult conversations and find joy in the unexpected. 'Nothing in life is ever that serious,' Alexis said. 'Even death.'
