Cool Canvas

Cool Canvas A small team of creatives crafting bespoke spaces that spark play and learning across the UK. Follow our journey and be inspired!

We design, manufacture and install natural play areas.

01/06/2026

This video gives you a quick snippet of the process of creating our outdoor environments.

We are not installing off the shelf products. We start with our hand drawn artist impression and once we’ve stripped the area out and we have a feel for the space, then we react to the environment and the needs of the children and the project starts to evolve. 99% of the time the design changes (the price doesn’t 😆) for the better.

This is always really exciting to start with an idea and with the best intentions and an injection of creativity and positive energy we push on and create the best possible learning environments for our settings.

Looking forward to how this job takes shape! Stay tuned

28/05/2026

Our latest install takes us back down to Oxford. It’s been fantastic weather for installing outdoor environments (if not a bit too hot!). Check out how we transformed this tired outdoor space into a natural leaning space for EYFS. Thanks for watching

Some exciting news! We are flying to Malta to design and create an outdoor environment for a children’s Nursery. Loads o...
22/05/2026

Some exciting news! We are flying to Malta to design and create an outdoor environment for a children’s Nursery. Loads of interesting challenges to work out with logistics. Stay tuned and follow our journey as we work this one out!

21/05/2026

Space can sometimes be a challenge in London nurseries, which means you have to think creatively about how every area is used.

This project was all about making every corner count. We introduced a raised book space, brick-built play stations and planters, water play, and even turned the corridor into a den area for quieter play and imagination.

The before footage shows just how far this one came.

What I like most about projects like this is proving that you don’t need a huge area to create something inspiring for children. You just need good ideas and thoughtful design.

WE’VE BEEN SHORTLISTED! 🌿🏆We’re incredibly proud to share that our project at Sinclair Nursery - Glasgow has been shortl...
21/05/2026

WE’VE BEEN SHORTLISTED! 🌿🏆

We’re incredibly proud to share that our project at Sinclair Nursery - Glasgow has been shortlisted for the Pro Landscaper Awards 2026 in the category:

✨ Community Project of the Year ✨

This project was all about creating a nature-rich outdoor environment that inspires imagination, learning, wellbeing and connection through play.

From handcrafted timber structures and natural materials to immersive pathways and creative spaces, every detail was designed with children and community at the heart of it.

Huge thank you to everyone involved in bringing this project to life, the team, the nursery, the makers, and all those who continue to support what we do.

We genuinely love creating spaces that matter.

20/05/2026

Eight weeks ago we completed this outdoor play space in Oxford, so this week we went back to see how everything had settled in.

One of the most important parts of any project for us is returning after the excitement of installation has passed. It’s when the space truly starts to come alive. The planting begins to establish itself, materials weather naturally, pathways form, and most importantly… the children make the space their own.

It was brilliant hearing how the children are using the different areas in ways nobody predicted. That’s always the sign of a successful play environment, when it encourages imagination rather than dictating play.

The planting has already started softening the space beautifully and bringing a sense of calm and connection to nature. In another season it will feel even more established.

Designing outdoor environments is never just about the day the project finishes. It’s about creating spaces that evolve, mature and grow alongside the children using them.

LandscapeDesign LearningThroughPlay SchoolOutdoors CoolCanvas

19/05/2026

Part 3 of the tour… 🌿

This final section brings together messy play, storytelling and purposeful learning in a way that feels completely natural to childhood.

We created a connecting sandpit with an up-and-over country stile, surrounded by raised planting beds and finished with a simple boot basher to help keep the sand where it belongs. Small details like this make a huge difference in how a space functions day to day for schools.

Alongside it sits the investigation station, complete with a Belfast sink for potion making, perfume mixing, mud play and all the wonderfully chaotic experimentation that EYFS children thrive on.

Under the existing shelter, we developed a dedicated maths and literacy station, turning an overlooked space into somewhere calm, creative and full of opportunity for learning.

But the most special piece in this area has to be the huge oak slice mounted beside the literacy space.

This incredible piece came from the garden of Mary Shelley the author of Frankenstein.

We bought it last year because the provenance and story behind it felt too special not to preserve, and we waited for the right project to give it a home. This school felt like exactly the right place.

We donated it as a gift to the school, hoping it becomes a spark for storytelling, imagination and curiosity for years to come.

Outdoor learning spaces should inspire exploration, conversation and creativity, places where children can invent, discover and build stories of their own.

LearningThroughPlay LandscapeDesign SchoolGarden Storytelling CoolCanvas

18/05/2026

Part 2 of the tour takes us into the wild side of the garden… 🌿

This is where adventure, imagination and nature all come together.

We created:
🌼 A wildflower mound for biodiversity and exploration
🌳 Tree planting throughout the space
🏡 A treehouse with a log staircase and rope access
🪵 A fallen tree balance and core-strength area
🔥 A forest school zone with seating, planting and a fire pit
🌱 Living willow structures weaving through the landscape

Every part of this area was designed to encourage risk-taking, confidence, movement, creativity and connection to nature.

This isn’t just play equipment.
It’s a world built for childhood.

Stay tuned for the next part of the tour tomorrow.

17/05/2026

This is more than a playground… 🌿

Every corner of this outdoor learning environment has been designed with purpose for EYFS development.

In today’s short tour, we explore:
✨ The Creative Station
🌱 Raised planting beds
💧 The river bed feature

These spaces are designed to encourage imagination, sensory exploration, communication, collaboration, and hands-on learning through play.

If you’re looking for inspiration for your own outdoor learning environment, follow this short series of videos to see what’s possible when outdoor spaces are designed creatively and intentionally for children.

Stay tuned for tomorrow’s post 👀

PlayBasedLearning SchoolGrounds EarlyYears CreativePlay LandscapeDesign CoolCanvas

16/05/2026

This is NOT a playground…

It’s an outdoor learning environment,
a dream garden,
and a world built entirely for childhood development.

Watching this one go from concept…
to design…
to reality has been incredibly satisfying.

Every detail was designed with purpose to create a space where children can explore, create, imagine and grow.

A huge thank you to the school for trusting us, Sue from and the Bowker Sadler team from for the incredible planting, and The Bursary Foundation for helping make the project possible.

This has been a real community effort from start to finish.

Definitely one of our favourite projects to date.

SchoolGarden OutdoorPlay ChildhoodDevelopment

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Bolton

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Monday 9am - 5pm
Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 5pm

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