5 Creative Balustrade and Railing Ideas

When it comes to decking, the balustrades and railings play a huge part in how your decking looks and feels in your garden. Balustrade’s main purpose is to keep you safe, but that doesn’t mean you need to sacrifice creativity.

Balustrades and railings come in a variety of styles, finishes, and colours meaning you can mix and match the designs with your decking. You can choose to go with a more traditional fence look or something sleek and modern that uses glass or aluminium. There possibilities are endless!

If you’re finding it hard to decide on an ideal look for your balustrades, you don’t need to worry. Our team of experts at Deck Supermarket have come together to share five creative ideas that can get the most out of your balustrades and railings, transforming your decking into something special.

The difference between balustrades and railings

Although you might think balustrades and railings are the same thing, they’re actually quite different. Balustrades are vertical, often decorative, pillars that connect with a handrail. Railings on the other hand are longer, more functional in design and run along the edge of decking.

5 Creative ideas for your balustrades

Use glass balustrades to maximise natural light

If you’ve a small garden or your tight on outdoor space, you need to make sure your garden is getting as much natural light as possible. Glass balustrades are a fantastic way to ensure natural light flows seamlessly along your decking and around your garden.

Glass balustrades provide a more modern, open plan look and feel, avoiding your decking feeling like a separate area in your outdoor space. Plus, glass balustrades made from tinted or satinised glass can prevent you being overlooked and increase privacy on your decking.

Go industrial with aluminium balustrades and railings

Like glass balustrades, aluminium and metal balustrades work well at bringing a more modern look to your decking. Although aluminium balustrades can look quite industrial, their design allows them to bring in lots of natural light and they’re much slimmer than uPVC balustrades helping increase space in your garden.

Plus, aluminium balustrades and railings are often silver or black, helping them to have a timeless appeal. They are also highly versatile and work incredibly well with glass panels to create a solid, open-plan design.

Celebrate nature with timber balustrades

Going in the opposite direction from aluminium, timber balustrades are an excellent choice if you want to emphasise the natural aspects of your garden. Softer in design that glass and aluminium, timber balustrades can include impressive wooden carvings as extra features, making them feel unique.

Another nice touch timber balustrades have is that the wood can become weathered, changing its appearance throughout the year. Although you do need to treat the timber to maintain it, seeing the colour of the wood change with the seasons, allows you to celebrate the power of nature with your decking.

Look to the future with wire balustrades and railings

Instead of having vertical railings complimenting your balustrades, why not turn the system on its head and get horizontal wire railings. Like timber balustrades, wire rope railings and balustrades look much softer than aluminium and uPVC balustrades, and the difference in design creates a seamless feel.

Wire balustrades and railings are extremely versatile and not limited to aluminium posts. You can put wire ropes with timber balustrades, to bring together the natural with the industrial. The only thing you must make sure to do, when it comes to wire balustrades, is consult local building control to gain approval to install them. Once you have done that and gained approval, let your creativity lead the way!

Get decorative and fit rope balustrades

If you’d like less traditional style of balustrade, rope balustrades and fittings are a great alternative for your garden. Rope balustrades, much like glass, enhance space and light, especially if it’s limited, to create an open plan feel.

Timber can nicely compliment rope balustrades and create a natural feel that forgoes aluminium or wire balustrades. The only concern with rope balustrades is that they’re slightly less safe as they feature more open space. Nevertheless, rope balustrades are a great idea for your garden and stand out from the crowd.

Take your balustrades to the next level

On the outset, it may seem that balustrades are only there to keep you safe on your decking. However, that’s not the case. With careful planning, you can get creative with balustrades, building something that’s really unique and breathes new life into your garden.

If you need some more advice before you start coming up with ideas for your balustrades, get in touch with our team of experts today, who will help you find the right balustrades for you.