Both decking and paving are extremely popular choices for the back garden, but it's somewhat rare to see a garden design that utilises both. A lot of landscaping enthusiasts think of this as an either/or decision, but deck boards and paving slabs will quite happily go together, and if you're after a stunningly unique look for your outdoor space, this is definitely a tactic worth considering.

But how best to combine these two contrasting materials? Here are a few ideas...

Multiple Levels

This is the strategy that our architect deployed when designing the garden in the photo above. The doors open out onto a stylish paved patio, with a raised deck just beyond. This two-tier look is very appealing indeed, making the whole garden feel larger and, in a way, giving you two equally beautiful outdoor spaces for the price of one.

Keep 'Em Separated

If you've got a reasonably big garden, you may consider splitting it into different sections. Instead of sticking with that large, blank patch of lawn, you could install a small seating area at one end of the garden, and a nice little patio at the other. You could even have a hot tub in the corner - both composite wood and porcelain paving make great slip-resistant tub surrounds!

Blended Together

This approach is a little trickier, but the results are well worth the effort. We found the above image on Pinterest, and it's the perfect example: the duality of that design makes for a smooth, elegant outdoor living space. Mind you, you'll have to cut your boards and pavers quite precisely if you want to create that flawless transition between them.

No matter what you have in mind for your outdoor space, we at PrimaPorcelain can help. In addition to our spectacular porcelain paving products, we are also able to supply low-maintenance deck boards, and if you want to use one or both of these materials in your garden, our experienced in-house architect will be more than happy to help with the design.

Image from Christmas Stock Images

It's less than a week until Christmas, and you've probably had your decorations up for at least a couple of weeks now. Sparkly tinsel wrapped around the banister; festive shapes hanging from the ceiling; the colourful cards from old friends; and, of course, a beautiful Christmas tree, decked out with dazzling decorations.

But while every home in the country is currently glowing with festive cheer, the gardens of Britain look decidedly less merry. Very few people bother with the garden when they're doing their Christmas decorating, and since December is a pretty cruel month for outdoor spaces anyway, your back yard probably doesn't look all that inviting right now.

So why not give it a makeover? A little decorative elbow grease will do wonders for your barren winter garden, turning into a cosy Christmas wonderland in no time.

Don't worry - you don't have to go to such topiarific lengths as this!

The festive period is very much in full swing, and there's still plenty of time left for you to decorate the garden and enjoy the results. Here are a few tips for the perfect Yuletide outdoor space...

Use tinsel, and lots of it!
Tinsel is perhaps the ultimate Christmas decoration, and its versatility makes it ideal for doing up the garden. Strew it anywhere it will stay - on branches, in between poles, wrapped around tree trunks, in amongst flowers...

Any tree can be a Christmas tree!
Very few UK gardens will contain a genuine pine or fir, but who says that they're the only trees that can be Christmas trees? If you've got a little sapling in your back garden, there's no reason why you can't decorate it with baubles and other ornaments.

Light it up!
Nothing will give your garden that warm glow like a set of fairy lights. If you can't find anywhere to plug them in, you can get battery-powered fairy lights that are much more versatile.

No matter how you decorate your home and garden this December, we hope you have a very merry Christmas indeed!

That was how the classic Cliff Richard carol went, right? Since before the dawn of time, citizens of planet Earth have commonly associated the Christmas holidays with porcelain paving tiles. Okay, so perhaps that isn’t strictly true, but it should be! For what better gift to give your loved one this Christmas than a present which won’t age, which will remain stylish and beautiful for many years to come, which won’t stain or scratch, which will be the envy of their peers and which will transform their home into a personal haven?

We would like to assure readers that giving the gift of porcelain tiles for inside the home, outside the home, or both if you’re feeling particularly festive, will fill the recipient’s heart with joy…and that even applies if you give this gift to yourself!

Our stunning Italian porcelain tiles come in a gorgeous variety of natural colours which will provide a foundation for any decorative plans inside or outside the home. No matter which colour scheme or theme you’re going for, we have a porcelain tile or slab which will compliment your ideas perfectly.

Nothing spells Christmas quite like making your neighbours jealous of your beautiful home, so give the gift of eternal bragging rights along with a beautiful porcelain floor this December. Our personal favourites are:

1. For inside the home: Limestone Vanilla – because this creamy colour adds a spacious and light atmosphere to any room.

2. For outside the home: Onyx – because these gorgeous black paving slabs are sleek and modern, transforming your garden into a sophisticated outdoor space.

So what are you waiting for, gift-givers? Spread the festive cheer by offering your loved one the home of their dreams with a little help from Refin this Christmas. The only possible downside to this plan is that the fail-safe option of socks and a mug will never be acceptable again.

Request your Refin sample pack today to begin the transformation of your home ASAP. If you need any help or advice, please don’t hesitate to contact us at 029 2037 1584. Merry Christmas!

Fit for the Job

If your tiles were made out of porcelain, you would soon start to see that porcelain was quite simply made to tile! Our houses are full of assigned materials that fit their function so perfectly: our tables are made from wood, our pipes from copper, and our windows from glass.

You see a material's look, properties, and performance define its place in our home, and although porcelain is still not entirely a household name when it comes to tiles, we are confident that as soon as people start to see it in action, it will be!

Porcelain Trumps Stone, Every Time

Here at Refin, we want our glorious porcelain tiles to be the first thing you think of when it comes to tiling your floor – we realise this won’t be a quick or easy task, but our confidence that it is doable lies in the sheer quality and superiority of our product. We want porcelain to overtake natural stone as the primary flooring tile surface, as it’s a much more competent material for the job!

Inside & Outside

Our porcelain tiles come in two sizes – In.Out 1.0 and OUT 2.0 – intended for both indoor and outdoor use. Whichever size or application you choose porcelain for you will be guaranteed a wonder material! Every avenue in which natural stone falls short, porcelain performs effortlessly better.

A Matter of Facts

Porcelain resists scratches, stains, and slippages, not to mention it being an incredibly hard-wearing material. If you choose natural stone to tile your floor with, you will have to dedicate labour every year to sealing and treating it just to keep it intact! You never have to worry about any maintenance with porcelain, and instead you can concentrate on relishing your exquisitely tiled floor!

Looking Good

Don’t think you have to compromise on aesthetics either, as porcelain is manufactured to mirror the finest of natural stones such as quartz, as well as invent its own striking and innovative shades such as Bluestone and Driftwood. We even offer a free courtesy sample of our tiles, just so you can be reassured of its striking appearance and resounding appeal.

If you have been considering any other material to tile your floor with, then we at Refin urge you to reconsider! All it takes is a quick look at the facts to realise that porcelain is the ultimate flooring tile.

All of our porcelain paving products are sourced from an Italian company called Refin, and the people who run Refin are absolutely committed to producing green paving.

No, we’re not talking about slabs the colour of emeralds – we’ve got plenty of colours in our arsenal, but that sadly isn’t one of them. ‘Green paving’ in this instance means paving slabs that are produced in a sustainable, eco-friendly manner so as to minimise their effect on the environment.

There’s plenty of information on our new Sustainable Paving page, but here are the basics:

• Our porcelain paving collections are made to European Ecolabel standards, meaning that every stage of the product’s lifespan is handled in an environmentally-friendly way.
  
  
• Use of our products can help a building to achieve BREAM or LEED certification. These standards signify that the building in question is very green indeed!
  
  
• The manufacturers at Refin are very serious about recycling and saving energy, so the process behind your stunning porcelain patio is as sustainable as can be!