Light up your garden life

The brief

The owners of this Chancellor Park property had recently added a stunning vaulted side extension with bi-fold doors opening onto the garden beyond but the outdoor space itself hadn’t kept pace. The area was dominated by a tired, Japanese-themed deck and water feature installed by previous owners, leaving limited usable entertaining space and no coherent connection between the beautiful new interior and the garden.

They came to KT Garden Spaces with an open brief: make the most of what we have. What followed was a complete reimagining of how the space could work and feel from morning through to evening.

The design

Rather than simply replacing the old decking, Keith proposed repurposing the whole area into a layered outdoor living space with distinct zones for dining, relaxing and moving through the garden each flowing naturally into the next.

The centrepiece is a generous dining patio at the foot of the bi-fold doors, combining Millboard Enhanced Grain boards in Golden Oak with Globalstone Station Pearl porcelain tiles. The timber-look decking echoes the internal oak planking of the extension, creating a seamless visual transition between inside and out. The porcelain provides contrast and definition underfoot, anchoring the space as a place to pull up a chair.

Flanking the patio, new raised bedding areas constructed from Millboard fascia boards house an OASE water blade concealed within the structure the sound of running water present throughout the space without ever seeing the mechanics. Star jasmine planted around the raised beds will, in time, fill the air with fragrance and add a soft green backdrop visible from inside through the bi-fold doors.

Beyond the main patio, a curved porcelain stepping stone path edged with smooth sandstone setts and bullnose edging draws you further into the garden toward a second Millboard deck area. Framed with contemporary screening, it offers a more private spot: somewhere for lunch in the afternoon sun, or to look back at the borders and planted pots that now anchor the wider garden.

The lighting

The Ellumiere LED garden lighting system transforms the space after dusk entirely. What was unusable in the evenings is now an extension of the home the water blade catching the light, the planting silhouetted, the path legible and welcoming. The installation was designed so that no single source dominates; the overall effect is ambient rather than spotlit, more akin to candlelight than floodlighting.

Materials used

Millboard Enhanced Grain decking Golden Oak · Globalstone Station Pearl porcelain tiles · Sandstone setts with bullnose edging · Millboard fascia boards for raised beds · OASE water blade · Ellumiere LED garden lighting · Star jasmine planting · Contemporary garden screening

The result

The finished space works across every part of the day. Breakfast in the morning sun at the bi-fold doors. Shade and a book on the second deck in the afternoon. Al fresco dining with family and friends as the lighting comes on in the evening. The water feature provides a constant backdrop; the planting softens every edge.

Most importantly, the garden now belongs to the same design language as the house – a space that feels considered and complete, not inherited from someone else’s vision.

“We love what we were able to achieve on this project and thank the owners for putting their trust in our design ideas and suggested materials, creating a delightful space to enjoy for years to come.”

– Keith Tierney, KT Garden Spaces

Project details

Location: Chancellor Park, Chelmsford, Essex Services: Full garden design, Millboard decking installation, porcelain paving, raised bed construction, water feature installation, garden lighting Products: Millboard Enhanced Grain – Golden Oak, Globalstone Station Pearl, OASE, Ellumiere