🌿 Your Garden Is No Longer Just Outdoors: Why “The Third Living Space” Is Reshaping Outdoor Product Procurement in 2025

A Tiny Balcony, A Big Shift in Living

It was during a winter visit to a Berlin client when I realized—gardens are no longer just for planting.

He lived in a top-floor apartment, with a 10-square-meter balcony outside his living room. There were no flowerpots. Instead, a compact modular raised bed lined one wall, growing herbs and cherry tomatoes. Next to it sat a green-roofed storage bench. I sat, and he handed me a mint tea—freshly picked from his planter.

“Every morning I work out here,” he said. “Sometimes I even take calls. It's the quietest, calmest part of the house.”

That balcony wasn’t just a balcony. It was his third living space.

Industry Insight: Gardens Are Now Function-Driven, Not Just Decorative

spoga+gafa 2025 chose "Design Gardens" as its central theme—because something fundamental is changing.

"The garden has become a multi-functional extension of the home: for working, relaxing, cooking, socializing—even emotional wellness." — Koelnmesse Trend Report

According to Euromonitor 2024: 

• 61% of urban European consumers say they use balconies or terraces daily；

• Google search trends for “garden office” and “third living space” increased 42% YoY in Germany and France；

• The demand for beautiful, flexible, and modular outdoor products is rising fastest among 30–50-year-old homeowners.

What This Means for Buyers & Procurement Managers

This is not a design trend. It’s a transformation in how outdoor products are defined and sold.

Traditional Logic:

A raised bed is for planting. A garbage box is for hiding trash.

New Logic:

A raised bed is “a morning wellness zone.” A garbage box is “part of my home’s aesthetic.”

Procurement is no longer about buying individual SKUs. It's about offering experience-based product ecosystems.

The Challenge for Buyers: Combining Beauty + Function + Scenario

At Hongmao Garden, we work closely with European buyers—Amazon sellers, OTTO managers, garden center chains. They face three recurring pressures:

What end users want

What end users want	What buyers struggle with
Multi-use balcony or garden space	Products are often single-function only
Multi-use balcony or garden space	Design is too utilitarian
Harmony between planting, storage, and style	No modularity or scene-based bundling

Multi-use balcony or garden space Products are often single-function only

Visually pleasing outdoor solutions Design is too utilitarian

Harmony between planting, storage, style No modularity or scene-based bundling

🧩 What Hongmao Garden Offers: Not Just Products, but Living Systems

We don’t just manufacture metal boxes—we design lifestyle enablers. Here are three scenario-based product bundles we’ve developed for the European market:

Scenario 1: Balcony Living Kit

📦 Includes:

• Modular raised beds – Flexible units that can be expanded or downsized depending on balcony layout；

• Dual-function high beds – Combine planting space with smart under-bed storage；

• AC cover or privacy screen – Conceals mechanical units, enhances visual consistency；

🎯 Designed for: Compact balconies and rooftop terraces (5–12㎡) 

🎨 Color options: Nordic gray, textured woodgrain, matte green

“As an e-commerce partner on Amazon Germany, this kit allowed us to offer configurable options for customers with small but high-value spaces. Return rates dropped, and the ‘Balcony Edition’ label boosted search ranking.” — Amazon outdoor category distributor

Scenario 2: Front Entry Green Set

📦 Includes: 

• Planter-top garbage bin cover – Elegant solution for hiding bins while allowing for greenery；

• Mailbox + parcel dropbox with anti-theft system – Built to meet EU parcel delivery standards；

• Optional drainage system & solar LED light kits；

🎯 Fits: Entryways, shared hallway landings, compact courtyards (1–2㎡) 

🛠️ Assembly: Under 30 minutes, plug-and-play, no tools required

“One of our hardware retail partners in Belgium adopted this ‘Green Entry Kit’ and turned it into a branded front-yard set. Their customers appreciated the all-in-one style, and it became a bestselling seasonal bundle.” — Regional wholesaler partner

Scenario 3: Outdoor Utility & Work Nook

📦 Includes: 

• High and low-height tool cabinets – Ideal for organizing garden tools, grilling gear, or seasonal accessories；

• Storage boxes of various capacities (220L–460L) – Can serve as seating, toy storage, or weatherproof cushion bins；

• Optional anti-collision features, ergonomic opening angles, and custom-fit dampers；

🎯 Designed for: Flexible outdoor zones—patios, garages, balcony sides, family gardens

📦 Multiple box volumes available to suit different household use cases

“A European private-label garden brand integrated our tool cabinets and modular boxes as part of their ‘Garden Organization Program.’ The result was a 1.4x increase in per-order value across 2024 spring campaigns.” — B2B brand client (OEM partner)

You’re Not Just Selling Storage—You’re Selling Possibility

The third living space isn’t about extra meters. It’s about more moments—to breathe, to grow, to connect.

If you're a buyer, your next challenge is not stocking another planter box. It's crafting a story:

• One where form meets function

• One where garden = lifestyle = revenue

Hongmao Garden can help you deliver that story—through products that don’t just fill space, but shape life.

🎁 Download our 2025 Garden Lifestyle Buyer’s Guide

📦 Request a modular scene bundle sample for your product team 

📧 Contact us: [email protected] 

🌐 Website: www.hongmaogarden.com

About the Author

Catrina, the founder and CEO of Hongmao Garden, a top-tier OEM/ODM supplier of outdoor lifestyle products. With over 20 years of export experience, I helps European retailers, e-commerce sellers, and garden designers turn functionality into emotional connection—one scene at a time.