6 Deck Design Trends to try this Summer
Summertime means time spent out on the deck—and time thinking about how to upgrade that deck to turn it into an even nicer place to spend sunny afternoons! If you’re thinking about making some improvements to your deck, then you’re probably wondering what is trendy among deck design ideas right now. Here are a few of the latest trends to help get you inspired!
1. Rich Colors
Dark, bold shades are definitely in when it comes to decking. This means avoiding light, bright colors or lighter natural wood shades like pine in favor of darker, richer wood colors like mahogany—at least for the decking boards, not necessarily for the rest of the deck. If you’re looking to paint the deck or install colored composites, browns are a good choice, and they give you a whole range of shades to play with, from rusty red-browns to chocolate shades or even darker hues.
Of course, this doesn’t mean that you need to avoid light colors entirely! To match your home or to give the deck a beautiful two-toned look, you can always keep the decking boards themselves dark and go with light colors for posts and railing.
2. Get Creative with Lighting
Lighting never used to be a big feature in deck design, but nowadays, with LED lights, there are so many ways to light up your deck at night. One thought is to attach lights to posts and uprights. However, nowadays, you can also find LED lights designed to fit in post caps as well as small lights to fit beneath steps, which not only look beautiful at night, but make it much easer to climb those steps in the dark! To see some of the options in action, check out Trex’s line of outdoor lighting designed specifically for decks.
3. The Minimalist Look
One popular trend right now is minimalism. For decks, this means going light on the décor. Make spaces comfortable with simple seating and cozy throw pillows but forego lots of extras like planters and other décor. Just keep it to a few choice pieces to achieve that clean-swept minimalist look!
Railing choices can also help you create that minimalist style. Glass railings give you a smooth, sleek look that doesn’t obstruct the view, and wire railings are another popular choice for modern minimalism.
4. Try Unconventional Patterns
When most people think of decking boards, they think of the typical single-direction layout. In other words, when all the decking boards point in the same direction. But, there are lots of other ways to design a deck so that you can have some freedom to play around with patterns. If your deck has more than one level, or if there are obvious sections to it, you can always build a sense of geometry by blocking out those areas with decking boards pointing in different directions. Boards at diagonal angles can create a sense of length, and things like decking boards in herringbone patterns can give a deck a beautiful upscale look.
5. Add Shrubbery to Your Deck
There are all kinds of shrubs that do well in planters—things like azaleas and especially boxwoods. A few planters with these shrubs will certainly add some greenery to your deck, and what’s more, they can even add some shape. Especially with easy-to-prune shrubs like the boxwood. These can be clipped into cubes, fluffy green balls or whatever other fanciful shape you’d like to decorate with.
6. Maximize Shade, Privacy and Comfort
One of the biggest emerging trends in deck design comes from homeowners’ need to build on things like privacy and comfort. This means that shaded decks are becoming much more popular—either roofed or covered by an awning so that they stay comfortable on hot, sunny days.
Deck enclosures are quite popular, too, though these can take many forms. For privacy, latticework is one of the top choices. And, it doesn’t have to be traditional latticework, either! Shop around, and you’ll find lattice or screening in a variety of pretty patterns. The great thing about latticework is that while it gives you privacy, it also doesn’t obscure the view completely. More than that, it lets the breeze in!
If privacy isn’t a concern, then a screened deck may be the way to go. This lets you enjoy both the view and the breeze, but it keeps pests like mosquitoes away.
These are some of the current trends in deck design, but if you’re looking to make an upgrade, there’s lots more that you can do. Check out some of our suppliers for even more great ideas!
