OUR RENO JOURNEY: OUR TREX DECK AND OUR TREX PRO FITTER

**This post is sponsored by Trex decking. I have received gifted decking, and have written an honest account of the decking and labour received for fitting. All comments and thoughts are 100% my own. **

It’s been six weeks since we had our Trex decking fitted at the bottom of our garden in anticipation of us moving in VERY soon. Yes guys, the count down is on. Next time I post about this decking you will hopefully see me lounging on it in our garden furniture which has been locked away in a storage unit for the past year! Maybe you’ll even catch me with a glass of something bubbly down there.

I knew I wanted to build a deck at the bottom of our garden to potentialise on those late summer evenings lounging and getting the north facing beams on our faces. I also knew I wanted it to be a composite deck.

Having had a wooden deck at our old house, I know the difference, and I also know that wooden decks don’t last as long.

Our old decking was only 5 years old when we sold the house, and it was already in need of repair and constant maintenance- being jet washed and stained each year to protect it. So, I knew this time since it’s our forever family home I wanted the decking to last and have the longevity.

I also loved the sound of how little maintenance is required. Not that I’m lazy, but with a toddler and a full time job, not to mention my love of writing about our renovation and interiors in general means I have very little free time to sit down and stain deck boards each summer.

I chose Trex ‘Calm Water’ from the Trex Enhance Naturals collection as it’s a beautiful grey textured composite deck which looks dark, sleek and modern and requires very little maintenance. Once I was decided on the Calm Water Trex Enhance decking, I then had a (socially distanced) consultation meeting with Steve to discuss the plans for the decking. It was Steve who suggested building a flower bed on the end of the deck out of the Calm Water Trex Enhance Naturals collection composite decking. I loved the idea of the flower bed being sunken into the deck, but still having a raised, defined edge so it looked like a flower bed. Being built in the decking also gave it a streamlined, modern look.

THE SUNKEN FLOWER BED - BY BUILT WITH TREX ENHANCE DECKING IN CALM WATER

THE SUNKEN FLOWER BED - BY BUILT WITH TREX ENHANCE DECKING IN CALM WATER

Steve from Living Landscapes also suggested a few other ideas for another phase of the garden possibly for next year. Suggestions like adding a pergola above half the decking, and adding a hammock in between the pergola so I can lounge in my sun trap (the garden is north facing and the decking is located at the back of the garden for maximum sun potential!). EEEEeeek watch out for next year!

Inspiration for Next year to build a Pergola above the decking, and to hang a hammock or swing chair outside

Image via Pinterest.

Image via Pinterest.

Finding Steve from Living Landscapes (a Trex Pro builder) was super easy as Trex has an easy search bar at the top of their web page where you can search via your postcode. If you want to find out who your local Trex pro builder might be you can click here.

Steve from Living Landscapes design with his colleague Brian

I cannot tell you how thrilled I was with his workmanship and his ideas for our deck, and how inspiring I found his ideas. He also reassured me that adding a pergola in the future wouldn’t affect the Trex Enhance boards which I already have and that it can be easily done by taking the boards off, digging and fitting the posts with concrete, and then re fitting the Trex Decking boards back on top, just with new cuts for the Pergola posts.

Steve from Living Landscapes hard at work cutting the Trex Decking.

Steve from Living Landscapes hard at work cutting the Trex Decking.

Steve from Living Landscapes hard at work building the Trex decking frame

Not only is composite decking hardwearing, but it will also evolve and transition with my future garden plans which makes it a fantastic investment piece for my garden.

Trex Enhance decking 'Calm Water'

And look at this vision… we’re almost in guys…

OUR RENOVATION JOURNEY : THE PLAY ROOM/ DEN MOOD BOARD REVEAL

Jungle room play room moodboard

As we reach our sixth month anniversary of building work over at the ‘Rat House renovation’, I thought it was about time I shared one of my mood boards for our first room reveal.

Today I’m talking about our playroom/ den.

Located on the right side of the house on the ground floor, this room was previously used as a dining room by the previous owner. It was filled with antique furniture and a lot of rat poison (I’m not exaggerating- at least they were aware they had a problem), it had been left pretty neglected and hadn’t seen a duster or a hoover in a long old time, although it was easy to see that it must have looked beautiful in its former life.

The evolution of the playroom

This room is now going to be used as a playroom for our little boy during the day, and a cosy den for us Adults in the evening. A space for us to retreat in to watch a movie whilst having the eco wood burner on from Arada stoves (I’ll talk about this more soon).

Although we will have a lounge across the hallway from this room, we love that this room is completely separate to the kitchen/ dining space and you can shut yourself away and have more privacy. Aka, when I have my mates round and we’re drinking Prosecco in the kitchen my other half can lock himself away with a tv and a cosy wood burner and escape from the cackles.

 We want the space to feel fun and imaginative for Otis, but also grown it up and quirky in the evenings once the toys are packed away. I’m envisioning this room becoming a musical room one day in hope we might own a piano for our son, and then will evolve into his X box room, and then one day his pre drinks space with his mates. Ha, yes I am already thinking that far ahead! And although I’m sure I will have decorated this room a trillion times by then, I’m hoping I won’t want to change it for at least a few years (he’s only 2 so I have plenty of time until then).

I still need to research storage, but I’ve got my heart set on a large sideboard for our grown up lounge across the hall and would also love something practical and hardy for storing toys inside in this room. For the playroom I don’t want it to look too childlike, but it also needs to pass the toddler durability test. I saw a beautiful sideboard at a Heals press event which I literally dream about day and night, but sadly its out of my price range (even in the sale), and I’m under no illusion that this would work for a playroom, but I’ve still stuck it on here anyways as you should all see it.

We will also have a tv on the wall, away from little hands, which will also be handy as it will take up less space.

 But back to the wallpaper, and the theme. Because let’s face it, that’s why you’re all here.

If you haven’t guessed already, we’re going for a subtle jungle theme in here. As you know we’re big fans of jungle prints, so it was inevitable that we should continue this theme into our new home. Plus, being a massive fan of Divine Savages and their beautiful wallpaper and prints and having had their Deco Martini wallpaper in our previous home I was super excited to see that they had launched a new colourway of their Faunacation print into the jungle greens, so it seemed like a match made in Rat House heaven.

And yes, I know what you’re thinking. I said I wasn’t going dark… I just like to keep you on your toes *wink. What I probably should have said is that I’m not going to have any Railings paint in our house which was a bit of a trademark paint colour in our old home. So much so, I wish I’d got ruddy shares in the stuff we had so much of it. But it’s time for a change, and this time I’m also giving some new paint brands a whirl to see how they stack up as I think it’s time for some new kids on the block.

We’re putting picture rails back up and will be wallpapering up to the picture rail and then painting above it in new paint company Lick Green 06 in Matt, then using Lick Green 06 eggshell on the woodwork and using Lick 02 white on the ceiling. Lick are a new paint brand which I discovered in lock down and I’m excited to see how their paint compares.

We’re getting some gorgeous new cast iron radiators from Best Heating for this room and for our grown-up lounge across the hallway- these are the Milano Tamara oval column in antique brass from Best Heating and are just stunning.

 We’ve removed the old brick fireplaces that used to be in this room and the main lounge and we have replaced the fireplace in this room with with a beautiful eco burner from Arada Stoves for extra heat, and I’ve bought an original 1930’s deco wooden surround  on ebay for a bargain £150 which I want to leave in the wood to contrast with the wallpaper and side board. And even though we have stripped the house back to the bricks and removed the original features, we’re hoping it will still have bags of character from what we put back in.

To furnish it, we will be super excited to be reunited with some of previous belongings which will fit nicely into this space, including our West Elm Drake green velvet sofa and Distressed Arabesque wool rug in steel for this room, and layering some of my favourite House of Hackney cushions which have accents of gold and teal to being some new colours into this space.

 I’ve also found some beautiful lacquered brass transparent light switches and sockets which are amazing to go over the top of wallpaper from Corston Architectural detail. They’re clear so let the wallpaper shine through whilst still being practical and having a pop of brass which I think will look amazing in this room.

 That just leaves me with deciding on a light and curtains. I’m hoping for something with a bit of drama like the attached Anthropologie Victoria tassel light or something similar.

 

So what do you think? Was it pretty obvious that we’d go jungle somewhere? You never know, the giraffe might even make an appearance in here at some point. You’ll just have to watch this space.

JUNGLE DEN ROOM MOOD BOARD
  1. Lick Paint Dark Holly Green 06 in Matt for the wall above the picture rail ( £38 for 2.5L)

  2. Lick Paint Off White 02 in Matt - for the ceiling (£38 for 2.5L)

  3. Divine Savages Jungle Faunacation wallpaper (£140 a roll)

  4. West Elm Drake sofa in Green Velvet ( £1,099)

  5. 1930’s original wooden surround purchased from Ebay £150

  6. West Elm Distressed Arabesque Wool Rug in Steel and £449

  7. Corston Architectural detail switches and sockets from the £28

  8. Best Heating Milano Tamara - Oval Column Cast Iron Radiator - 760mm Tall - Antique Brass from £229 

  9. House Of Hackney Saber cushion £195

  10. House of Hackney Florika cushion £165

  11. Heals Remi sideboard - large £2,639

  12. Anthropologie Victoria tasselled light £298

  13. Arada stoves eco burn from £879

I’ve also done a bit of research on beautiful sideboards as I’m currently looking for two and have become sideboard obsessed.


sideboard research