Guy Douglass of Millboard takes a look at the versatility of decking and the many different ways it can be used to enhance your home’s exterior
There have been many different gardening trends over the years – the ‘70s rockery, Japanese gardens, Mediterranean gardens – but decking has always had an enduring appeal within these trends. It is practical, popular and often the most frequented part of a garden. Decking allows us to extend the months of the year that we can spend outdoors, it enables us to create ‘another room’ – either to welcome and entertain friends and family, or to just spend quiet time relaxing in a tranquil outdoor space. Decking is also an incredibly flexible design tool.
CREATE DISTINCTIVE VISUAL EFFECTS
The lines of decking can be used to create different visual effects in a garden. Boards oriented vertically will lead the eye down the garden and towards an intended focal point. Horizontal boards give the impression of width and space – ideal for a seating area. Boards placed diagonally add interest and a new dynamic within an overall design.
Different width decking boards can also be combined in an alternating or random pattern to create a distinctive design. A slim board can also be used as edging to define a specific area of the deck in a ‘picture-framing’ effect, in the same colour as the main deck or in a contrasting colour.
ONE MATERIAL, MANY USES
Decking is incredibly useful when designing landscaping because one material can be used for a number of purposes, helping the designer to achieve a unified look without having to switch materials. Built-in seating using the same material can create a pared back aesthetic giving the illusion of more space – very useful for smaller urban gardens. Decking can be used to create built-in seating, planters and even dining tables and pergolas. Bullnose edging and fascias add a beautiful finishing touch to any decking project and allow easy incorporation of under-lip lighting for a professional finish to entertaining spaces.
PROVIDING SOLUTIONS IN TRICKY SPACES
Not everyone has a flat rectangle as an outdoor space. It can be challenging to create spaces to relax in when you have a sloping garden. While one option is to do lots of earth moving and hard construction, decking often offers an easier – and more economical – solution. It can be especially useful in waterlogged gardens, creating an all-weather surface which extends the months when we can venture outside. As decking can be constructed to embrace SuDS principles, it allows for the natural drainage of rainwater, rather than it pooling on the surface or being directed to overloaded drainage systems.
Naturally, the self-builder will always be concerned about the durability and maintenance needs of timber decking in any garden, waterlogged or not. Nowadays there are plenty of alternatives to timber decking that don’t decay or become slippery in wet weather.
A SEAMLESS TRANSITION FROM INSIDE TO OUTSIDE
Using the same flooring across several rooms in a house can make a space seem larger and encourage flow from room to room. Increasingly, the same rules are being applied to outside spaces as our gardens become extensions of our inside living and entertaining space. Choosing a decking material that matches the flooring in the room leading to the garden creates a sense of flow between spaces. This was done to great effect by Val, the Instagram designer and renovator (@no5_thehouse) where he chose decking that matched the timber flooring in his kitchen. The result is an amazing inside/outside extendable entertaining space – the courtyard feels more like a tranquil living room.
THE DURABLE APPEAL OF DECKING
Decking has graced our outdoor dining areas for many decades, and for good reason. It has many applications and is well loved by designers and homeowners alike for its beauty and its versatility. Over recent years, we have seen a huge increase in homeowners using their outdoor space not just as a garden, but also as an additional room in the house for entertaining and relaxing and generally enjoying life outside. This often means incorporating heating, lighting, soft furnishings and cooking and dining facilities – all of which are much easier to pull together as a cohesive design with decking underpinning it all.
Modern composite materials, with their authentic wood-look appeal and multiple colour options and finishing accessories, have opened up a whole new range of possibilities that will help keep decking as an integral element within all the best gardens.
Guy Douglass is global sales director at Millboard