Design Without Border: Our Award-Winning Approach to Indoor-Outdoor Living

Your garden should bring you out of your house, closer to the outdoors.

At DK Garden Design, seamless indoor-outdoor living is what we do best. This Worsley eco garden was awarded the silver award at the prestigious APLD International Landscape Design Awards for its connection between the indoor and outdoor spaces while keeping the garden distinct from the living room.

In other words, we know how to achieve the perfect balance.

It doesn’t matter if you plan on using the space for relaxation, entertaining or increasing property value, integrating your home with your garden can enhance many facets of your life. And here are a few things we can do to help you bring your vision to life.

1. Creating a Functional Flow

First of all, we need to acknowledge that the way you and your loved ones move between indoor and outdoor spaces significantly impacts the experience.

So, to craft an outdoor space that flows from and into the indoor requires easy access through wide doorways and unobstructed pathways. We believe level access at the connection point to internal floor areas is the way to go, as it avoids the disconnect that you often get with steps.

On projects with steep sites where the garden is on a different level, we might use terraced landscaping to help bridge the access with the garden, whilst bringing planting and colour closer to the home, which will further enhance the indoor-outdoor aesthetic connection. Additionally, we might position furniture, planters and decorative elements strategically to keep movement pathways clear.

2. Matching Your Interior and Exterior Aesthetic

Harmonising your indoor and outdoor décor makes it cohesive.

We suggest extending your interior design elements—such as colour palettes, furniture styles and materials—into your garden. For example, if your home features minimalist Scandinavian design, we will take that into account and consider outdoor furniture with clean lines and natural textures to strengthen the connection between both spaces, making the garden feel like an extension of your home rather than a separate entity.

3. Using Consistent Flooring Materials

One of the easiest ways to unify indoor and outdoor areas is through flooring—specifically, the same flooring, or as similar as you can get them.

Using the same or similar materials—it can be stone, concrete or wood, but we prefer porcelain—creates a smooth transition. For example, choosing large-format tiles that extend from your living area onto the patio helps maintain design continuity and makes spaces feel more interconnected.

Another way to enhance cohesion is by making sure that the texture, finish and colour of the flooring complement the interior surfaces. We tend to opt for weather-resistant materials, like porcelain paving and Millboard composite decking, for our projects in North West England for practicality and longevity reasons.

4. Incorporating a Covered Outdoor Living Area

A pergola, veranda or extended roofline can serve as a bridge between indoor and outdoor spaces and provide shelter without sacrificing openness.

These structures make your garden usable throughout the year by offering shade from the sun and protection from light rain (if you’re reading from the North West, you know what we mean!), so you get the most out of your new garden.

In this Wilmslow garden, we elevated the indoor-outdoor living with a stylish wooden pergola that extends the living space beyond the walls of the house, transitioning between the home and garden. Beneath the pergola, a carefully selected set of outdoor furniture provides a retreat, which allows the space to be comfortably enjoyed in any season.

5. Introducing Indoor Elements Outdoors (and Vice Versa)

Bringing outdoor elements inside and vice versa helps soften the boundaries between spaces.

Incorporating features that we typically associate with indoor living, like modular seating, dining tables and shelving, in outdoor areas can further reinforce the connection. Similarly, allowing natural materials—such as wooden beams or stone finishes—to feature prominently indoors will help to maintain a consistent design language throughout your home.

When it comes to decorative (but still practical) elements, we recommend positioning indoor plants near windows or an herb garden near the kitchen door to better connect you with nature. Or, you could use weather-resistant rugs, cushions and lighting outdoors to create an inviting atmosphere akin to an indoor lounge—speaking of lighting…

6. Utilising Outdoor Lighting to Enhance Ambience

To make your outdoor area functional and inviting in the evening, we may incorporate well-placed lighting.

For our designer David, over-lighting is a big no-no, as it washes out the natural beauty of a garden. Instead, he recommends a combination of uplights, downlights and subtle pathway lighting (like this one from Hudson Lighting) to create balance and drama. Alternatively, there is the Downward Spike Spot, also from Hudson Lighting, which can be used to illuminate a pathway or boardwalk without shining in your eye as you pass.

David has also handpicked the Micro Spike Spot for directional lighting without glare. Plus, the IP 68 rating means it works well whatever the weather.

7. Choosing Sustainability and Low-Maintenance Solutions

Even the keenest gardeners draw the line at unnecessary, excessive upkeep. We get it, no one wants to feel like their garden is more of a chore than a joy. That’s why we work closely with our clients to understand the amount of time and effort they are willing to devote into caring for their garden.

Ultimately, our approach is to choose sustainable, low-maintenance landscaping that will keep your garden looking beautiful with as little effort as possible.

Depending on various factors, we may also incorporate features like green roofing, rainwater collection systems and energy-efficient outdoor appliances to create an even greener and more efficient garden, so you can live alongside the landscape with peace of mind.

Want to Bring the Outdoors In?

Our goal is to create a harmonious flow between your interior and exterior spaces. By integrating some of these principles, we can transform your garden into an extension of your home, one that offers the perfect retreat for relaxation, entertainment and daily living.

Every home is unique. And we know that your vision for the indoor-outdoor lifestyle is too. Get in touch today and let's explore how we can bring your dream garden to life..