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.

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.

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.

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.

Iroko decking 2 — 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.

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.

Thermo Oak Decking 1 — Thermo-Oak smooth-face timber decking: heat treatment imparts a deeper colour and boosts outdoor performance.

3. Bring the inside out

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.