Your deck is the ultimate place for relaxation and celebration. Be inspired for your new decking project (or bring dated decking back to life) with this collection of design ideas with photos.

By unlocking your garden, a deck becomes the ultimate place for relaxation and celebration. Liven up your new decking project (or bring dated decking back to life) with these ideas.

Sunlit backyard patio with a wicker sectional and colorful cushions on the left, a central wooden dining table with chairs, and a hanging chair on the right.

Cozy outdoor wicker seating area with a cushioned sofa, striped and neutral pillows, a woven coffee table, croissants and tea, baskets, and greenery.

1. Get back to nature

Rewilding is a big deal. Embrace the madness of nature – not least because it benefits our mental health as ‘biophilic’ creatures, but because it’s great for wildlife.

A plant feature wall might be a great way to introduce some natural organised chaos to your space, particularly in smaller gardens. If you can’t build your planting scheme outwards, go upwards – as this project so excellently demonstrates. More greenery creates a softer, more seamless passage for your eyes, adding the illusion of greater size if your garden is on the smaller side.

Modern courtyard featuring a vertical garden on a black panel wall, wooden slat fencing, a stone-tile patio, and a long rectangular planter with trimmed hedges.

Interior with large black-framed sliding glass doors opening to a wooden deck and a garden with vertical greenery, hedges, and brick wall.

Wooden deck garden with curved stairs, raised planters, purple and white flowers, tall hedges, and a shaded seating area with a blue art panel.

Night-time outdoor patio with a wicker sectional sofa and chairs under a wooden pergola, a glass coffee table, and surrounding potted plants.

Don’t hold back with potted pro-pollinators, either – the The British Beekeepers Association has published advice on the best plants when gardening for bees. Bonus: you’ll add some colour and personality to your space.

Outdoor wicker seating on a wooden deck with cushioned sofas, a coffee table, potted pink and purple flowers, and a lush green garden backdrop.

Modern white house with a large wooden deck, outdoor dining set, string lights, and potted plants; sunset glow in the window and a green lawn beyond.

Wood deck with stairs, colorful flowers in pots, a round glass table with a floral centerpiece, and a gray lounge chair amid a lush garden.

Cozy wooden balcony on a deck with a lime-cushioned chair, a small table holding sunglasses and a wine glass, flanked by vibrant pink, white, and green flowers in planters.

Zen garden scene with bamboo stalks, ivy-covered wall, neatly trimmed boxwood spheres, white gravel and a stone lantern beside wooden decking.

Wooden balcony with potted plants on and beside bench, including tomato plants; a green watering can and sandals on deck, with grassy yard beyond.

2. Make a statement with your species

The choice of wood itself allows you to make a design-led statement. Why settle for a cheap softwood like spruce – the type you typically find in home improvement stores?

Tropical hardwood species like iroko (African teak) perform superbly outdoors – they’re dense, hard wearing and naturally resistant to insects and bacteria – and they also look the part. Iroko’s caramels, golden browns and darker brown hues, along with the interlocked grain pattern with light pith flecks, are sure to catch the eye.

Wooden deck extending from a beige house with glass doors, a small window, a stone wall on the left, gravel border, and lawn; LED edge lights.

Wooden deck attached to a beige house with white-framed doors; grooved boards, gravel around, and a rural field in the background. — Iroko: mimicking teak, at a fraction of the cost (environmentally and financially).

You could also opt for something like balau. Native to Southeast Asia, the warm, golden brown and reddish tones make it a firm favourite for designer decking projects.

Then there’s beautiful, hard-wearing species like ipe and cumaru, both sourced from South America and similarly blessed with remarkable natural outdoor durability.

Close-up of wooden deck boards in warm brown tones, with visible grain patterns and parallel planks receding into the distance.

A reddish wooden deck extends from a modern home, with glass doors, white wicker chairs around a table, and a rock border under a blue sky.

That’s not forgetting old favourites like Siberian larch or European oak, of course – both phenomenal, timeless choices. For the ultimate in high performance, check out thermally-modified options like Thermo-Oak and Thermo-Pine.

Brown wooden deck with evenly spaced planks, raised above green grass; dark-framed glass doors are visible at the rear. — Thermo-Oak smooth-face timber decking: heat treatment imparts a deeper colour and boosts outdoor performance.

Wooden garden shed with large glass double doors and black frames, built on a wide wooden deck, fenced on both sides with a green lawn behind.

Brown wooden deck planks run along the right side, adjacent to a green grassy lawn on the left, with a diagonal seam between them.

Brown wooden deck with visible planks and a raised edge, over a green lawn; dark-framed glass doors and wooden wall visible in the background.

3. Bring the inside out

Turn your deck into its own living space. Outdoor furniture is an obvious place to start.

Wooden patio with a white metal bistro chair and small table holding a wine bottle, two glasses, and an open book; gravel paths, tall grasses, and green walls.

Wooden garden deck with woven lounge chairs and a circular hanging chair, surrounded by green hedges and trees on a sunny lawn.

Wooden deck with two wicker chairs and cushions, a small white table with orange juice glasses, and potted plants beside a green lawn.

Backyard deck with dark wood seating and orange cushions, string lights, and glass sliding doors to a bright kitchen; hill and trees in back.

A dark wicker dome daybed with beige cushion and multicolored pillows on a wooden deck, surrounded by blue planters with pink flowers and green trees.

To add year-round usability and maximise your investment, consider a pergola or a gazebo. They can create a unique ‘outside in’ feel, providing shade from the sun or shelter from the inevitable summer downpour.

They don’t have to completely block out the sun, of course. Pergolas don’t have a permanent roof canopy, and you can choose a gazebo that covers a portion of the deck.

Wooden outdoor patio under a lit pergola with string lights, metal chairs around long tables, lanterns on the tables, garden and fence at dusk.

Outdoor patio with gray cushioned wicker seating and a matching coffee table under a wooden pergola, with lush lawn and a modern house in the background.

Sunlit backyard under a wooden pergola, round table with chairs on a brick patio, green lawn, a trampoline, trees, and hanging flowers.

Urban courtyard patio with gray tiles, a sun lounger on a wooden deck, potted flowers, ivy-covered walls, a tree, and surrounding apartment buildings.

A structure can shield your decking from full exposure to the elements, lengthening its lifespan. Plus, never again will you be beholden to the weather forecast when planning a summer get-together!

Not only that, but in European oak, their natural beauty and ability to blend into any space is undeniable.

If you’re after more inspiration, we’ve written an entire blog giving ideas and inspiration for garden structures and features.

4. Light it up

To add atmosphere, a set of solar festoon string lights or LED stake lights don’t cost the Earth, but can provide a simple decorative addition.

Lighting can be added into the boards, along the edges to create a walkway or possibly underneath the boards.

Wall lights, particularly the on-trend up-and-down style, can also add some quick-win ambiance to your space.

Wood deck garden with turquoise string chair, black round chair, green lawn, ferns, purple shrub, and white pebbles along a wooden fence.

Outdoor wooden patio under a pergola with string lights, two wooden tables, metal chairs, lantern centerpieces; warm glow against a blue dusk sky.

Evening outdoor patio with a wicker sectional, cushions and a fluffy throw, a coffee table, rug, lanterns, string lights, and potted plants by glass doors.

Long wooden deck along a light beige house with white-framed doors, a window, stone wall section, gravel border and lawn; deck lights along the deck.

A wooden backyard deck at night with warm step lights, railing, a closed umbrella, outdoor furniture, potted plants, and a lit house window.

Wooden deck with steps, patio table and chairs under an orange umbrella, and potted flowers along the house in a fenced backyard.

Backyard of a red brick two-story house with white-framed doors, a covered patio, potted plants, a small tree, artificial turf, and a wooden fence.

5. Go grey for a modern, minimalist look

The trend towards grey shows no sign of relenting. From almost-white light grey to medium and charcoal, for decking (but also cladding and fencing), grayscale is in.

Grey creates a clean, modern, Scandinavian-inspired look that allows your other outdoor elements — furniture, plants, nature walls, rugs — to pop, whilst also speaking to simplicity and nature. To stay on-theme, consider keeping some of these features white.

Cluster of yellow Black-eyed Susan flowers with dark centers in a garden bed beside a light gray wooden deck, with a few purple blooms nearby.

Over time, natural photodegradation will turn timber decking a stunning silvery-grey – when wood is exposed to sun and moisture, it slowly loses its original colour. This process typically takes around a year.

If you’re going down this ‘natural’ route, we’d recommend choosing one of the quality species that we mentioned earlier, like Siberian larch, European oak or iroko. Thermally-modified options like Thermo-Oak and Thermo-Pine are increasingly popular and also offer great performance.

The application of transparent preservative oil will help to prevent any moisture-related damage – products like Owatrol H4 Wood work exceptionally well.

Another way to ‘go grey’ is by purchasing decking that has been professionally pre-treated in the factory. One particularly on-trend solution is SiOO:X wood protection system. It uses silicone technology to enhance durability and give an evenly-weathered grey appearance.

One final method is with composite decking – this is a mixture of wood and plastic. Products like WeatherDek Grey and ReversaDek give you the choice of different shades of grey and are particularly low maintenance.

Outdoor wooden deck with pale rattan sofa and chairs, white cushions, beige patterned pillows, and potted plants near a leafy hedge.

Wooden cabin with open glass doors and interior shelving; a raised deck with glass railing and wooden steps leads to a gravel path and green lawn.

Modern wooden house with large glass doors opening to a warmly lit dining area; a freestanding bathtub sits on the deck beside a grassy yard.

6. Get creative with your shape, configuration and colours

Wood is a traditional building material, so using it in an innovative, unusual way is sure to catch the eye.

What classes as a ‘daring’ decking design may be as simple as a circular, semi-circular or oval shape, rather than the usual rectangular deck. You might also like to experiment with the decking board configuration: chevron, diagonal or mixed are all possible to make a bold statement.

Incorporating other materials, like the ever-popular Indian sandstone paving slabs, can provide an alluring bit of contrast.

Wooden deck with a stepped platform in a garden, featuring a stone ball fountain on white gravel, orange flowers, and green shrubs.

Top-down view of a curved wooden deck bordered by gray stones, with lush green shrubs, rocks, and purple flowering plants along the right edge.

Backyard deck at dusk with a glowing fire pit, red Adirondack chairs, string lights, potted plants, and tall trees beside a house with a marble counter on the right.

Person kneels on a wooden deck, applying finish with an orange-gloved hand; a bucket sits nearby as rocks and lavender border the area.

Curved reddish-brown wooden deck boards transition to a pale stone patio with irregular pink-tan stones.

Varied-plank decking is one way to achieve a standout deck.

A herringbone design is another simple way to make a statement.

Whether you’ve got something incredible in mind or you’re inspired by a creative deck you’ve seen online or on TV, we love being able to help our customers achieve something bespoke if desired. Get in touch with us to discuss your project!

7. Perfect your perimeters

Finishing touches shouldn’t be an afterthought. ‘Picture framing’ is one timeless way of tying everything together – this is simply a border around your decking, with mitered corners. The use of stones or stake lighting are two other popular framing techniques.