What’s the answer?
The deck should be a destination in your backyard, so consider having it as far away from the house as you can. Instead of a deck hard up against your house, think about having a couple of large steps between the house and garden; they can be utilised as somewhere to sit, but certainly wouldn’t become a spot where you’d put a dining table, and that’s good!
If I think about sitting outside at a dining table, the first thing that comes to my mind is being under a pergola in Positano, Italy – that’s the e ect I’m going for. So try to create a spot that feels separate to your house and is not just an extension of the indoors. I mean, imagine your dining area with no roof or walls – would you really want to sit there?
To me, a great deck makes the most of its surrounding elements. Its edges might, for example, be carefully blurred by the plantings around it, or it could be built around, say, the base of a beautiful old tree. That way, you’d have natural shade and the deck would be usable all year, not just in spring and autumn. As with all aspects of home renovation, investment in good design for your deck will always pay great dividends.
The sustainability of your deck matters, too. Some of the composite decking materials on the market are made primarily with recycled plastics and they’re really good. They last a long time and, with the right fixings, the screws don’t work up so you won’t even see them.
So, before you rush into building anything resembling a deck, think about the purpose and location of it and the ways in which you can make it work with, and not against, your surroundings. If you do this, you’ll create a space that doesn’t detract from your house and instead o ers you a beautiful, alternative spot in which to relax and enjoy those long summer evenings.
Barry Du Bois is a designer, builder, author and TV presenter on Network 10’s The Living Room, which airs Fridays at 7.30pm.
Make better use of your backyard by illuminating it lightly rather than brightly
The key to successfully lighting your outdoor areas is subtlety, says Adele Locke, lighting designer and owner of Melbourne’s Mint Lighting. “Your outdoor lights should give you a sense of the entire space, so you can enjoy sitting in gentle light.” Strong light is very e ective at de ining a zone, so if you blast your alfresco area with light, you risk feeling like you’re sitting in a tiny yard with a great big black hole behind it, she says.
A better approach is to aim for an ambient glow, adds Clayton Driessen, architectural lighting designer for Beacon Lighting. “Using low-output, low-lying and discreet ittings such as garden spotlights, you can create a soft, warm atmosphere around shrubs, grasses and lowers. Another option is to use LED strip lights along planter boxes or bench seats for a continuous glow that won’t overpower the features of your garden.”
In terms of trends, Clayton says customers are gravitating towards rounded, organic shapes for outdoor lights, and that aged bronze and brass are inishes are selling well right now. “There’s also an increasing range of smart lighting hitting the market, in the form of bollard lights,
LED strips, uplighters and garden spotlights,” he says. “It’s easier than ever to upgrade your lighting by automating it. This will give you more control, far beyond standard timers and sensors. It’ll allow you the ability to not only dim and brighten, but to change the colour temperature and colour of the light itself through an app or voice assistant.”
Before you get too far into shopping for lovely new garden lights, remember they sometimes have to run o a driver. “You may need to allow space for the gear that runs your lights,” says Adele. “One option while you’re deciding on how to light your garden is to get an electrician to run cables in conduits for lighting; that way, when you igure it out or want to make changes, you don’t have to dig up the garden.” And you could always opt for solar lights — if you’re prepared to pay for top-tier products. “Most of the solar lights we’ve seen don’t cast much actual light,” she says. “They’re great if you want a little ‘sparkle’ in the garden, but don’t expect to see much from them.”