long bricks, garden design, timber fence

Surbiton House Extension and Full Refurbishment

Cherry Architects Limited

Acton House

Honeybee Interiors and Joinery

We created all new fencing with the slats and then painted them charcoal grey to match the pergolas. The Pergola was designed to go the full width of the garden, to maximise the space for the sofa and hammock. The table is multi functional as a coffee or dining table. Faux grass and patio creates other zones and a little bistro table for early morning coffee in the sun. Climber should bloom by next summer covering the pergola and critall doors. Contemporary plants tie in with the feel and style of the kitchen. We also created lighting throughout the garden and on the walls.

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Highbury Entertaining Oasis

User

BROAD LANE

Sketch Architects

The SIPs built low energy house is wrapped in timber cladding, zinc and red brick. Large glazing opens the ground floor seamlessly to the garden.

Tooting Outdoor Retreat

The Garden Builders

This beautifully re-imagined garden transforms an open, overlooked space into a sophisticated and secluded outdoor retreat, designed for relaxation, dining and year-round enjoyment. From the kitchen door, the lower terrace catches the morning sun and immediately sets the tone: calm, refined and welcoming. Slim cedar trellis panels and a large outdoor mirror framed by lantern-style lights help define this intimate zone. Three sculptural stone planters hold soft grasses, while comfortable seating encourages lingering and quiet morning moments. See more at: https://gardenbuilders.co.uk/tooting-garden-designer-sophisticated-outdoor-retreat-kitchen-pergola/

Clapton Water Garden

Viriditas Studio

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Wapping Roof Garden: Outdoor Cosiness, Landscape Creativity Lighting Cleverness

MyLandscapes - Amir Schlezinger

modern roof garden design decking lighting people herbs

Gardeners Cottage

E. Williams Landscapes Ltd

Tucked behind a contemporary home on the edge of woodland, this garden is a study in balance — between openness and enclosure, softness and structure, light and shadow. What unfolds is a carefully layered outdoor space, shaped over two principal levels and finished with a quiet clarity that allows the materials and setting to speak. The garden rises through a series of rendered retaining walls, each one defining space and guiding movement. Pale porcelain treads run cleanly up through the levels, their surfaces cool and composed. Frameless glass balustrades, fixed with brushed aluminium hardware, ensure uninterrupted sightlines and reflect the muted palette of whites, greys, and soft timber tones that underpin the scheme. At the garden’s edge, the original boundary walls were left exposed — a deliberate decision. Their irregular lines, aged render, and softly flaking paint offer a striking counterpoint to the garden’s precise new additions. This contrast between the old and the new, between weathered surface and crisp finish, lends the space depth and a grounded, lived-in character. The garden doesn’t overwrite its history — it invites it in. At the heart of the upper level is a generous deck, constructed using smoked oak-effect composite boards. This platform extends from the rear of the house and acts as the primary outdoor living space — a place to sit, to cook, to slow down. Below it, an undercroft structure was built to provide discreet storage, its façade clad in Western Red Cedar to echo the vertical slatted screens along the garden’s edge. The same lower space accommodates a custom-built sauna, privately tucked into its own zone and vented with precision. The hot tub is located on the lower terrace — its porcelain surround set within its own quiet corner, both connected and contained. From here, the garden rises gently through linear steps, framed by soft planting that lifts the edges and draws the eye upwards. A cedar privacy screen wraps the boundary in warmth and rhythm, filtering views and light while offering a consistent material thread throughout the site. On the main terrace, a bespoke chimney forms a sculptural counterpoint to the transparent balustrading. Rendered to match the garden’s walls and capped in slate, it stands as a focal point — elegant, quiet, and perfectly placed. The material palette is restrained but full of texture: smooth porcelain, warm cedar, brushed metal, aged masonry, and frameless glass — all allowed to breathe. Every junction was considered, every tone carefully placed. Planting was layered to soften the structure and invite movement. Borders rise through the levels, adding scale and softness. At night, warm, integrated lighting reveals the garden’s architecture — casting shadows across walls old and new, and drawing out the contrast between permanence and precision. This is a garden of quiet confidence — where age and clarity, heritage and craftsmanship, all find space to coexist.

Chorleywood Project

IMAGO GARDEN DESIGN AND LANDSCAPING

HAMPSTEAD HOUSE

ECA studio

Loft dormer conversion with direct access to a new roof terrace overlooking Hampstead rooftops. A bright, private retreat.

Belsize Park Residence

Eaton Wood Architects

Upper Philimore Gardens

Bartholomew Landscaping Ltd

Bartholomew Landscaping were awarded this project through a competitive tender process to work alongside the renowned designer Tom Stuart-Smith. Terraced over four levels the construction including drainage, mechanical, engineering and build-ups was particularly complex and logistically challenging. The lower courtyard included a newly sawn lime stone cladding to the fascia of the building. Antique French limestone was used throughout for all the paved areas with reclaimed cobbles interspersed between solid lime stone steps to create the pathways linking the spaces. Two antique reclaimed water features were installed within the terraced areas to provide interest along the journey and create a truly tranquil ambience. A bespoke metal arbour was also installed in which to drape climbing plants to provide privacy from the surrounding buildings, as well as an area for shade and contemplation. The planting was virtually fully established from day one with a selection of mature evergreens trees and shrubs craned in over the building awaiting Tom’s arrival to personally set them out with the team. Tom likes to add the finishing touch to all his gardens including a lime wash to tone down the selection of pots. Discreet subdued lighting and irrigation was installed throughout the scheme. The bespoke furniture was imported from the USA with one piece granite surfaces coming from Italy. This consisted of a dinning arrangement, loungers, side tables and chairs all finished in a beautiful custom design shower proof fabric. Needles to say the clients were absolutely delighted with the finished garden and it was a pleasure working along Tom Stuart-Smith and Size-breed Construction.

Terrace Ideas and Designs

There’s nothing quite like an outdoor space with a view and if you’re elevated up high then there’s more chance of getting that view. Even if you’re not blessed with a natural view from your home, an elevated space outdoors will at least give you the chance to survey the land in front of you; whether that’s a few square metres or whole acres! A terrace is one way of achieving this as it gives you the flat surface of a patio but elevated; either on a flat roof, as decking in your garden, or extending out from your house at ground level or higher. Whether a terrace is your only outside space and you want it to function as a garden or you’ll be using it as a dining or seating area, there are all sorts of design ideas, furniture, plants and accessory options to think about.

How do I decorate or design a roof garden?

UK homeowners are resourceful when it comes to outside space and will make the most of anything they can get their hands on, so it’s no wonder that in urban areas and cities we look to the roof for a place to get some rays. A roof terrace can work in just the same way as a decking area, but you just may need a few extra elements to make it more comfortable – a way of shading an area from the sun, perhaps a parasol or sun shade, a touch of green to break up the stark nature of a roof, and a drainage system that will stop rain water collecting in colder months.

If you want to create a whole garden on your roof you’ll be a little more restricted than when on ground level. Plants may have to remain potted, but you can find companies that design and install green roofs – systems that allow plants to be planted into the roof surface. However, green roofs can be costly and tricky to install, so stick to pots and raised flower beds if you want to stay on the safe side.

Loungers, deck chairs and rattan chairs are great pieces of roof garden furniture as they’re portable and can be moved around your rooftop garden easily; perfect for sun chasers. However, if you want to create a larger sense of space for your roof terrace design, think about built-in benches or seating around the sides or a corner of your roof garden.

What to consider when designing garden decking

A decked garden area may look simple once finished, but there are so many factors to consider when it comes to putting together decking ideas. You’ll need to think about the materials you want to use, the balustrades or railings you might choose, whether you will have a raised deck and decking steps, and whether you want decking lights.

Which decking material is best?

Composite decking is a popular choice for outdoor deck material because it offers a combination of practicality and style. The boards are made of wood and plastic fibres so that the classic wooden look is kept but the plastic fibres mean they will be much more durable and easier to maintain than traditional hardwood. If you can’t resist the natural look and feel of hardwood decking boards, then yellow balau, iroko and ipe decking are suitable outdoor boards that will give you the classic feel of a traditional wooden deck.

Remember, with hardwood decking you will regularly need to treat the wood to keep it clean, waterproofed and to maintain the colour. As wood is usually more of an investment than composite or plastic decking, it’s a good idea to speak to decking specialists or timber merchants because they will be able to advise you on the best wood for your design and how best to treat it. You may find that different decking materials are better to suited to different types of terraces; whether that’s on a roof, in the garden or on a balcony.

Whether you are designing a terrace, balcony or decked garden area from scratch, or just looking to decorate what you already have, take a look through the photos on Houzz to find terrace and balcony ideas and inspiration.

Whether you want inspiration for planning a terrace renovation or are building a designer terrace from scratch, Houzz has 62,290 images from the best designers, decorators, and architects in the country, including Grow Gardens and Viriditas Studio. Look through terrace photos in different colours and styles and when you find a terrace design that inspires you, save it to an Ideabook or contact the Pro who made it happen to see what kind of design ideas they have for your home. Explore the beautiful terrace ideas photo gallery and find out exactly why Houzz is the best experience for home renovation and design.