Amy’s Glorious Grey Garden Renovation

When we saw the work in progress on Instagram of Amy and Alan’s grey garden renovation in Nottinghamshire we couldn’t wait to see the finished result. We absolutely love how beautiful and functional this outdoor space is and of course, the tiles look fabulous too. We caught up with Amy to find out more.

When buying a new build property in 2020, exterior wise the garden was a basic, slightly sloped area of soil, with one row of dull grey slabs. Our plan was to level it off into separate spaces including a turfed area, decking and a large patio.

We didn’t want to pay thousands for our grey garden renovation to be landscaped by somebody else, so we always planned to do the work ourselves. Alan is pretty handy when it comes to DIY, having renovated a previous property and even though all his skills are self-taught he can build, construct, repair or restore anything he puts his mind to. I make a pretty good assistant as well, and I’m normally in charge of designing, planning, and sourcing materials.

We set to work on the garden in Spring 2021 and planned a large patio area that we could use for outdoor dining and entertaining, as well as a space to make the most of the sun. The direction of the garden was a major consideration when purchasing our house, as evening sun on the patio was a must, so when choosing the materials for the patio we were looking for something light and bright that would reflect the sun and feel warm.

Starting our Grey Garden Renovation

I ordered many samples of grey garden tiles from a lot of companies but when I opened our sample delivery from Direct Tile Warehouse, I knew instantly that we had found the perfect tiles for our grey garden renovation. We choose the Architonic Light Grey Porcelain Anti Slip Tiles, exactly what we were looking for – light and bright and also reasonably priced.

Ordering online was super easy, and I was contacted the following day to arrange delivery. I was able to choose a delivery day that was convenient for me and received regular updates on my order and delivery. The delivery arrived as planned, with only minimal damages which were to be expected during transportation, but Direct Tile Warehouse arranged a replacement, no questions asked. In fact, they encouraged me to check my delivery on arrival so they could send us any replacements ASAP. I was really impressed with their customer service.

We got to work on laying the tiles ourselves, and although we were initially apprehensive about whether the tiles were robust enough for outdoors, we made sure that we used an appropriate sub-base to provide a sturdy foundation. We soon realised that these tiles were much easier to work with than large heavy slabs and provided a sleeker modern finish for our grey garden renovation.

After three days of hard labour, we were so happy with the finished result. Our grey garden renovation includes tiles that are warm and bright, and every time I step outside, I feel like I’m on holiday in a Spanish beach resort hotel. I love how the light tiles contrast with the dark garden furniture, creating a modern, stylish look. I’m now working on adding colourful flowers and overseas plants such as palms and olive trees, with terracotta pots to give a Mediterranean feel to the space. The pale pink terracotta pots on the light grey tiles look pretty and summery.

The tiles are easy to clean, with just water and an old mop, and we use a long pole squeegee to dry them off, making the patio look brand new all over again.

I would highly recommend Direct Tile Warehouse and will definitely be using them again for our next tiling project in our ensuite bathroom. They have a great selection, and I found their pricing to be much more reasonable than other suppliers, without compromising on quality or customer service.

Would you like to undertake a gorgeous grey garden renovation? Check out our range of grey garden tiles for inspiration.

Do you have a tile tale to tell? We’d love to see your tile transformations – send your pictures and comments to [email protected] or tag us on social media.