When the weather is warm, the sun is shining and the clouds are curiously absent from the British skyline, the garden can be the perfect destination for a lazy afternoon of carefree relaxation.

That worriless ambience can be made all the more wondrous if you know how to accessorise your garden with the right furniture.

Give peace (and quiet) a chance with a garden seating area that turns your outdoor space into an R&R VIP room.

Benefits of Outdoor Seating

While Mother Nature’s weatherly influence can determine when you enjoy your garden, there are a few man-made factors that are firmly in your hands – namely garden furniture.

Whether you have decking or a paved patio, the introduction of outdoor seating to your external space can notably improve your outdoor enjoyment.

Better still, not only can it enhance your relaxation, it can also add an instant element of style and fashion to your garden.

Outdoor Seating Ideas

While it’s easy to automatically think of typical garden staples when it comes to outdoor furnishing, there’s so much more to outdoor furniture than wooden benches and metallic dining sets.

Here’s a few creative ideas to help you think outside that box when it comes to your garden seating area.

Hanging Out

If Homer Simpsons has taught us anything – and I think we can all agree, he’s taught us a lot – it’s that there’s no better way to relax in the garden than in the supine comfort of a hammock.

It’s easy to overlook this unusual yet awesome seating option, as many of us will have a pre-conceived notion that your garden needs two conveniently placed trees to support a hammock.

Luckily, this is purely a stereotype created by movies and cartoons. In reality, hammocks come in a variety of forms, including free-standing versions with solid frames for ready-made relaxation.

Whether you choose to go full Homer and rest a frosty beverage on your belly while you do so is your call, but the message remains: hammocks = relaxation

If you want to add a unique sense of luxury to your garden, look no further than the hanging haven that is the garden hammock.

Swing Along

In keeping with the hanging theme of the last entry, swing seats are another great way to relax in your outdoor space.

In addition to the ever-popular swing seats (also known as canopy swings) that have been staples of outdoor relaxation for decades, outdoor hanging chairs have become increasingly popular in recent years.

Bridging the gap between hammocks and traditional outdoor furniture, hanging garden chairs come in a variety of forms, from the cushioned comfort of padded armchairs and sofas to the modern style of all-weather bamboo/wicker chairs.

These dangling seats can be attached to suitable structural supports for sturdy suspension, providing a stylish seating solution that’s also spatially economical.

Bubble Over

Stylishly modern and unashamedly different, bubble chairs and cocoon seats are an instant statement, providing aesthetic allure and human intrigue in one fell swoop.

Uniquely designed and for style and comfort, these unusual seating options make for a memorable addition to any outdoor space. These can also come in hanging form, however, the standing form with a standard base is just as common and just as stylish.

The most common options are the transparent plastic versions and the more traditional wicker variety. For a contemporary, if not somewhat futuristic option, the plastic option is sure to be a crowd pleaser on novelty and curiosity; however, the wicker range is undoubtedly a safer option for long term style.

Cutting Corners

Corner sofas have become a preferred seating option for many homeowners when it comes to interior design; however, why should this stylishly practical furnishing be limited to indoor use only?

Modernised rattan furniture has been infiltrating British gardens with increasing regularity over the last decade or two, with revolutionary new designs cropping up as the years roll on.

One such innovation has been the introduction of the corner sofa to outdoor spaces. Space saving, stylish and superbly comfortable, it ticks a lot of boxes.

Better still, outdoor corner sofas are also weatherproof and tailor-made for socialising, making them a great place for summertime gatherings when the weather allows.

Outdoor Seating Area

Now that you’ve got the actual seating sorted, next up is the all-important flooring. After all, what good is beautiful, expensive seating if the base beneath it is made up of weeds, weathered wood or age-ravaged tiles?

To compliment your lovely, new garden furniture, why not explore the aesthetic awesomeness of garden decking or patio tiles from AlfrescoPlus? Both make fantastic flooring options with their own distinct personality and style, providing the perfect platform for your fresh garden furnishings.

You can even incorporate benched seating into your deck design, with decked benches built into your overall decking design. Built-in deck seating can also double up as a storage area to really make the most of the space available.

Conversely, paving can also work just as well and provide an equally stunning solution to your flooring conundrums. With a huge range of designs to suit your mental blueprint, a paved patio area can round off your garden and make for the perfect setting for an outdoor dining area.

All of our porcelain paving tiles are slip, stain and fade resistant and can simply be wiped clean of spills in an instant. Meanwhile, our decking options also boast these protective features, should you prefer to dine on deck over a porcelain patio.

Whichever material you opt for, decking and patio are the perfect base for stylish furniture. Simply accessorise with garden furniture that features complementary colours, sit back and enjoy!

For more information on outdoor living options, why not drop us a line? Call 0800 028 8756 today to speak with one of our friendly staff or use the button below to get in touch online.

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Like any kind of home furnishing, garden styles have their own revolving door of fashion trends, ranging from crazy paving and water features to parasols and trampolines.

2019 is no different, with a number of exterior design choices expected to crop up with increasing regularity over the next year and beyond.

To keep you in the loop and ahead of the curve, we’ve laid out a few of the most popular garden trends we expect to see over the coming years and how you can implement them in your home.

Inside Out

Bringing your interior design to your outside space is a growing trend in outdoor living and it’s easy to see why. Creating a stylish external space with the aesthetic allure of your interior is a fantastic way to bring your garden to life and make it the place to be for social gatherings and solo relaxation.

While gardening culture may be more associated with older generations, this new trend of interior designs outdoors is something that is particularly popular amongst younger generations. This could be due, in part, to the fast-paced lifestyles of the modern day.

However, that’s not to say it’s a trend that is exclusive to Millennials and Generation Z. Extending your indoor space into your garden is a design choice that can be enjoyed by all ages. This can be done using our indoor/outdoor tiling range, creating a seamless transition that effortlessly flows from your interior to the outside.

Eco-Friendly

Climate change, deforestation and a general sense of increased awareness has seen the world take a far more responsible approach to daily life in recent years, from weekly recycling and energy saving lightbulbs to wind farms and electric cars.

The garden is no different and eco-friendly garden design has become increasingly popular. This is something we take particularly seriously at AlfrescoPlus, which is reflected in our products and our production methods.

All of our porcelain tiles and composite decking is designed to meet and exceed the environmental standards of the European Ecolab, while our sourcing methods are meticulously refined to ensure our carbon footprint is kept to a minimum. If you’re looking for an eco-friendly garden, you can rest easy if you opt for AlfrescoPlus.

For more information on our eco-friendly products, check out our Eco-Friendly Garden Choices blog for further details.

Zoning Out

Building a garden that suits you and your family can be a difficult juggling, particularly when your home has numerous ages and personalities all under one roof. As such, garden zoning has become increasingly popular and looks to continue this trend through 2019 and beyond.

The best way to describe this is to picture a long rectangular garden. Imagine a patio area directly outside the back door, leading into a green patch of lawn, before ending with a raised area of decking. Each zone can be used for a completely different purpose, with the patio for relaxing, the garden for play and the decking for socialising and barbeques.

Obviously, that is purely an example; the true extent of garden zoning is limited only to your imagination. If you want to throw a path, a pond or even a hot tub into the mix, you won’t hear any objections from us!

By breaking up your garden into sections, you not only effectively create designated areas for different activities, you also make your garden seem bigger as a result.

Show Time

Despite the general consensus that British weather is dull, depressing and decidedly damp year-round, that doesn’t stop us from venturing outdoors in the pursuit of a good time. In fact, outdoor entertaining has become its own garden trend, with sales of garden furniture reportedly on a steady incline.

British weather can be surprisingly hot at times, making the garden the perfect venue to entertain guests or entertain yourself. Whether it’s dining under the sun or socialising under the stars, holding court in your garden is a great way to make the most of your outdoor space and make the most of the good weather at the same time.

Turn your garden into the place to be when the weather allows by creating a stylish paved patio, complete with comfy furniture like garden sofa, or an inviting deck area that’s perfect for those barbeques that last long after sundown.

There you have it, a peak behind the turf at some of the main garden trends you can expect to see this year and beyond. Keep your garden in vogue with AlfrescoPlus!

For more information on our outdoor living products, call now on 0800 028 8756 or drop us a line using the button below.

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In 1986, Bon Jovi released the album Slippery When Wet, giving the world karaoke classics like “Livin’ On a Prayer”, “Wanted Dead or Alive” and “You Give Love a Bad Name”.

Sadly, the term “slippery when wet” is far less fun and infinitely less awesome when applied to the world of decking surfaces.

Luckily, AlfrescoPlus has laid that fear to rest with composite decking that’ll leave you rocking and rolling whatever the weather.

Non-Slip Decking

Before we go any further, we want to be up front and honest here – there’s no such thing as 100% non-slip decking. No matter how much we’d love to say there is, slip-free decking just doesn’t exist and any company that promotes their products as such is setting you up for a fall…quite literally.

However, when it comes to damage limitation, our slip-resistant composite decking options are as good as it gets. Our quick drying decking boards are specifically designed to take in minimal moisture, painstakingly engineered to absorb less than 1.2%, ensuring our decking is as water-proof as possible.

In fact, after a spell of rain, your deck can be completely dry within 30 minutes. As such, our composite decking is the ideal all-weather surface for the British climate, while also making it the perfect flooring option for use around pools and hot tubs.

Why choose composite decking?

When it comes to water-resistant decking, there’s no contest between genuine wood and composite decking – it’s composite decking all the way. Genuine wood decking is extremely absorptive which makes them problematic when wet.

Worse still, the natural grooves in real wood decking act as a bona fide ice tray in cold weather. These grooves fill up with rain water, freeze and expand, turning your decking into a veritable home ice rink.

What’s more, jet washing – the most common and popular way to clean wood decking – actually opens up the grooves even further, making the boards even more susceptible to water absorption and more slippery by proxy.

Composite decking from AlfrescoPlus

Composite decking is superior to traditional wood decking in virtually every way imaginable. Durable and built to last, composite decking from AlfrescoPlus comes with a lengthy guarantee for peace of mind and is specifically designed to be a long-lasting fixture of your outdoor space.

AlfrescoPlus composite decking comes in a wide variety of styles, colours and designs available, with three different materials to choose from. Our comprehensive collection of composite decking boards provides you with the creative freedom to explore a myriad of potential aesthetics for your property.

What’s more, each board is stain and fade resistant too, so you won’t have to worry if you spill a glass of red and can rest easy when the sun is at its peak. Our composite decking is a safer way to deck out your garden, providing family-friendly, worry-free furnishing for your outdoor space.

For a safe, stylish and slip-resistant solution, look no further than composite decking from AlfrescoPlus.

For more information on AlfrescoPlus composite decking, call now on 0800 028 8756 or drop us a line using the button below.

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For those not in know, it’s easy to think that gardening is pretty eco-friendly by its very definition. After all, cultivation of plants, veg and flowers is surely as green as it gets, right?

However, there are a number of ways that gardening in its many forms can adversely affect the environment.

Chemical pesticides, herbicides and fertilisers are prime examples of this, while something as simple as lopping down a sun-blocking tree can be exponentially harmful to your garden’s ecosystem.

Avoid any planetary blunders and keep your garden green in every way by following these top tips to an eco-friendly garden.

Eco-friendly garden ideas

Creating an eco-friendly garden doesn’t mean you have to leave your modern life behind, dedicate your new life to plants and erect a wind farm in your back yard (although each to their own).

Thankfully, it’s actually a lot easier and less life-altering than that. To get you started on your journey to eco-enlightenment, here are two easy ways to keep your garden as green as can be.

Promote wildlife

Encourage wildlife in your garden by making it attractive for the various species native to your area. Why not add a bird feeder to your space to instantly bring a healthy dose of nature to your garden?

Meanwhile, bees are famed for their pollination powers, making their presence all the more important. Adding brightly coloured plants like lavender, honeysuckle and foxgloves can be a great way to attract these pollinatory powerhouses.

If you’re really looking to go all-in, why not invest in a bee hotel or, better yet, make your own? Simple yet effective, these specially made “Bee&Bees” are perfect for ensuring good beehive-iour in your garden.

…Moving on!

Solar-power

Making the use of your natural surroundings can be surprisingly easy when it comes to making your garden eco-friendly, particularly when it comes to using solar-power.

Harnessing renewable sun-power in your garden can be as simple as switching your electric outdoor lights for solar-panel lights. These are readily available on at most garden centres, hardware stores and even large supermarkets.

Meanwhile, solar panels can also be used to power other garden features, from pond pumps to water fountains. What’s more, the addition of water features also lends itself well to the previous point, aiding wildlife promotion in your garden.

How to make eco-friendly garden choices

If you do have your heart set on decking or a patio for your garden, don’t despair. While tearing up a section of your garden in favour of wood or stone may not seem like the most eco-friendly option, it doesn’t make you a bad person!

AlfrescoPlus is a safe option, with the environment high on the company priorities. To minimise our carbon footprint, both our porcelain pavers and our composite decking options are extremely durable and hard-wearing.

Built to last, each tile and board boasts superior fade, stain and scratch resistance, minimising the effects on the environment by negating the need for a replacement.

But we don’t just stop there. We are on a mission to make gardens truly green in every way, which why we’ve made our paving and decking as eco-friendly as possible.

Eco-friendly porcelain

All of our porcelain tiles and pavers are rigorously tested to ensure they go above and beyond environmental standards, adhering to the strict criteria of the European Ecolabel. This ensures that all of our products and their associated processes are specifically designed to have as little impact on the environment as possible.

From the sourcing of raw materials nearby to reduce transportation to reusing water and saving energy during the manufacturing process itself, every effort is taken to ensure that our carbon footprint barely leaves a track.

BROWSE PAVING

Eco-friendly paving tips

Rain gardens allow rainwater to run off hard surfaces following a downpour, channelling this water into a designated patch of plants. By creating shallow grooves into paving slabs you can guide water run-off into your drainage channel or even directly into the rain garden itself.

Eco-friendly decking

Like our porcelain products, our decking options abide by a similar code of ethics as well. Our decking is made from a unique blend of recycled hardwood and pure polymer resins, 73% of our which is recycled materials (with an aim of reaching 95% recycled material in the near future).

No trees at all are cut down to make our products and all our composite wood products are made with reclaimed wood. Meanwhile, none of our decking requires painting, sealing or staining – minimising the use of potentially harmful materials.

What’s more, our product packaging is made with 43% recycled material and are 100% recyclable. Even our deck lights use energy efficient bulbs!

BROWSE DECKING

Eco-friendly decking tips

Reusing waste materials is a great way to preserve the environment and can even be used to directly influence the environment in your garden. Leftover decking can easily be made into any number of environmentally-friendly garden additions: from birdhouses to flower box planters.

For more tips on our eco-friendly options, why not drop us a line on 0800 028 8756 today? Alternatively, get in touch online using the button below and make your garden a little greener today!

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Gardens can be a great place to relax, unwind and switch off from the outside world, especially when the weather is hot. There’s nothing quite like sitting back and supping a cold beverage in the sun in the comfort of your own home.

However, as the old sayings go, nothing in life is free and, sadly, the same goes for garden R&R. Grass needs cutting, hedges need trimming and plants need pruning – all of which takes time and effort.

If you want to enjoy your garden without residing in an overgrown jungle, you’re going to need to roll up your sleeves and get your hands dirty from time to time.

As a result, garden maintenance can be a seasonal slog that’s quite literally never-ending. After all, nothing worth having comes easy.

Or does it?

How to create a low-maintenance garden

When it comes to low-maintenance garden tips, there are a variety of ways to limit the amount of work done, from scalping your lawn to replacing time-consuming hedges with plants that require minimal upkeep.

However, if sheer self-sufficiency is the aim of your garden game, the number one option for anyone looking to halt the hassle is to simply lose the lawn.

If you don’t fancy keeping track of a trimming schedule and perpetually pruning plants is your idea horticultural hell, why not show your lawn two green fingers?

There’s no law that says you are shackled to garden grass if you have no desire for it. Remember, it’s your property – enjoy it how you like!

After all, that’s not to say you can’t weave natural features into your lawnless garden. Plants and flowers can still take pride of place in your outdoor space with strategic sites of soil, either as traditional borders or raised beds.

Meanwhile, decorative plant pots can be a great way to inject colour into your garden. What’s more, the mobile nature of these features also allows you the freedom to replace or re-arrange at will, should you feel the need to change things up.

Replacing a lawn

So, down to the nitty-gritty – how to replace a lawn.

If you’re thinking of replacing your lawn with something far less demanding, we recommend two routes to go down: porcelain patio paving or composite decking.

Both provide a beautiful base for your garden space with minimal upkeep required. Simply pay, lay and drift away in your own personal prune-free paradise.

The only problem associated with these options is knowing which one to choose. To help you out, here’s the lowdown on each.

Porcelain paving

Porcelain paving slabs are a fantastic way to instantly create a beautiful, classy garden environment that lasts. AlfrescoPlus has the widest selection of garden paving tiles in the UK, making us the premier choice for patio paving.

With a huge range of patterns and colours to suit the style, mood and ambience you want to create, your wish is our design. Simply choose the porcelain tile you want and we can make it so.

Patio paving tiles can instantly transform a garden space into the ultimate relaxation area from the moment they’re laid. Better still, the presentation-preserving power of porcelain ensures your patio paving stays shimmering brightly and sprightly year after year.

Meanwhile, if you own a small garden, strategically opting for light-coloured patio paving – such as limestone or sandstone – can be a great way to open up your outdoor space and make your garden seem bigger in process.

Composite decking

Composite decking from AlfrescoPlus comes in three primary forms:

Capped composite decking

Capped composite decking boards are the ultimate decking option for durability, low-maintenance and quality.

The cutting edge of decking technology capped composite decking boards are covered in a moisture-resistant polymer sheath that – although virtually invisible to the naked eye – provides enhanced protection against stains and spills.

While they are a little more expensive than their uncapped counterpart, they provide unparalleled quality and come with a colossal 25 to 30-year warranty for the ultimate peace of mind.

Uncapped composite decking

Scratch, stain and fade resistant, non-capped composite decking is the perfect alternative to traditional wood decking.

Rivalled only by the moisture resistant powers of its capped sibling, uncapped composite decking is both durable and decorative, providing a wood-look aesthetic with none of the upkeep of the real thing.

Hollow composite decking

Hollow composite decking is a fantastic option for those looking to venture into the world of garden decking on a more modest budget. Hollow composite decking boards use less material while still providing a fantastic design that looks great and lasts.

As a result of its hollow properties, hollow composite decking is both more economical and more eco-friendly than its capped and uncapped competition, making them a fantastic option for the environmentally-conscious as well as the money-conscious.

Replacing a lawn

If you’re not quite ready to sever all ties with your lawn just yet, why not dip your toe in the water and implement a partial patio or half-deck garden?

Segmenting your garden into two zones can be a great way to get the best of both worlds, maintaining all the benefits of a patio or decking while still providing the natural allure of a lawn.

Best of all, this option also cuts down on your decking/paving expenses considerably, while still simultaneously slicing the lawn maintenance work in half.

If space allows, there’s even the possibility to integrate all three options by splitting your garden into three distinct sections. This method works particularly well when used in conjunction with a tiered/layer approach.

Separating these areas with steps creates an incremental effect of varying materials, providing a finished garden that’s both aesthetically pleasing and practically low-maintenance.

What are you waiting for? Create your own low-maintenance garden space with AlfrescoPlus and turn chores into cheers today! Click below for more information.

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