Embracing open-plan living, both indoor and out

Husband and wife Steve and Sue Marriot live in a five-bedroomed, detached property in Derbyshire. Wanting to capitalise on their available space, the couple decided to adopt an open-plan design for the kitchen, dining and lounge areas with a seamless deck leading outside from the patio doors.

Steve explains, “We finally got around to renovating after toying with the idea of creating an open-plan living space for a while. I removed the partition wall between the kitchen and dining room to create a spacious area for cooking and eating that’s also great for entertaining.”

“Being able to move through the kitchen and dining room freely was an immediate improvement. It’s convenient and comfortable with much more natural light reaching the kitchen now it’s exposed to the patio door,” adds Sue.

“We loved it so much, but we knew we needed to extend the open plan to include the garden area, as we have such easy access through the patio door,” she continues.

The couple decided a deck running seamlessly from the patio door to connect their dining room with the back garden was an ideal way to continue their open-plan theme.

Steve recalls, “Sue and I were originally considering using timber decking to match the garden’s wooden planter, but from experience, keeping the wood looking its best takes quite a bit of effort so we had second thoughts.

“A little research turned up PVCu as being easy to look after and hardwearing, so we started to investigate further. While browsing online I discovered PVCu deckboards with a grained finish, which was appealing as it would complement the planter.

We finally decided to go with Liniar’s SwitchBoard Ultra after being shown samples at a local stockist. The grained texture is gorgeous, and the product just feels very high end. Exactly what we were looking for.

SwitchBoard Ultra has been designed with a deeply embossed surface on both sides, giving it a 3D-effect touch. Being fully reversible and available in four stunning colours it allows homeowners the freedom to create bespoke designs with either a woodgrain or grooved effect finish. The deckboards are solid with a part-recycled core and can be used anywhere timber decking would usually be fitted.

With the project now complete Sue tells us, “We’re so pleased with how it’s turned out. The deck itself is amazing; we also opted for a pergola as the back garden gets a lot of direct sunlight and we’ll want to have some shade in the summer months.

“With the patio doors open the whole back of the house feels like one space, it really does seem like a natural extension of the inside.”

Steve concludes, “The deck has certainly got wow factor in all areas – appearance, surface texture, quality, it’s all there! PVCu decking was definitely the right decision. Mopping up after the occasional spill has shown us how easy it is to keep clean which is important, because we’ll be going in and out regularly and don’t want to ruin the carpets by bringing dirt inside.”

SwitchBoard Ultra is ideal for home gardens and commercial decking installations alike. To find out more about Liniar’s decking range visit https://www.liniar.co.uk/decking.