2024 Trends for Timber Cladding and Decking
Trends are always changing, whether they be for clothing, music, architecture – or even interior and exterior design. As timber cladding and decking continue to maintain their popularity, designs for their use are also seeing changing trends. So, not only can timber breathe a new lease of life or functionality into a property, but it can also bring it up to date with trends too.
In this blog from NORclad, we outline five key emerging trends for timber cladding and decking in 2024, helping you secure the look and feel that’s right for your project.
1. Darker Shades of Timber
As the selection of painted and natural timber continues to grow, darker shades of timber are also starting to increase in popularity. For many decades, timber decking and cladding featured primarily light and earthy tones. However, in line with increasingly darkening trends for design features such as doors and windows in 2024, darker shades of timber decking and cladding provide a modern and complementary option for houses looking to use timber in a way that complements already dark accents. Darker shades of timber can also be used among lighter shades when a striking contrast is desired.
2. Garden Room Cladding
For many decades, the appeal of using timber and other natural-looking materials has remained consistent. The design concept of ‘bringing the outdoors in’ maintains steady popularity for both interior and landscape design, with architects often incorporating timber to produce designs that look and feel inspired by nature.
The popularity of these nature-inspired design concepts has led to a rise in biophilic design – a concept that seeks to incorporate natural wellness-boosting features into indoor and outdoor spaces. In 2024, a new variation on this trend is emerging in the form of garden rooms that feature timber cladding.
For garden spaces that already feature some form of timber cladding or decking, incorporating timber cladding onto a garden room can create a clean, seamless-looking space – whereby a garden room is in keeping with its surroundings. Incorporating cladding into or outside a garden room aids the creation of biophilic design, creating a therapeutic, nature-inspired space that boasts functionality.
For more information, read our blog on the use of timber cladding in biophilic design >
3. Get Creative
Timber will always be a classic candidate for outdoor design installations, but it also boasts a range of options for creative cladding and decking. Timber offers flexibility in terms of shape, colour and structure to name a few.
Using timber to create visually interesting shapes within cladding or decking offers a unique contrast to the ‘earthiness’ of timber as a material. Creating shapes in this way could also help accentuate certain features within a property or garden.
Timber decking in particular can also be an effective method of creating more dimension within an outdoor space – for example, tiered decking offers a great way of maximising space and functionality while also offering visual layers to the look of an area.
In addition to opportunities for shape and texture, timber cladding and decking offer an easy way of injecting colour into a space. For designs seeking a bold or contrasting touch, painted timber cladding can be customised to the needs of a given project.
4. Two Tone Cladding
Another timber decking trend seeing increased popularity in 2024 is two-tone cladding. Two-tone cladding includes incorporating timber cladding of two shades within one decking or cladding design.
For those looking to make a bold statement with their timber cladding, panels could be laid interchangeably for a striking ‘stripe-like’ look. This might be especially effective within spaces that feature otherwise minimal interior or landscape design.
In more discreet designs, two-tone cladding may allow for the creation of borders or patterns interwoven into a deck or cladding wall, providing a great way to accentuate existing features.
In addition, combining a two-tone design with coloured cladding also poses a range of creative options that can be tailored to match any other features within a space. One popular variation of this can be seen in coastal properties that combine white and blue cladding for a nautical look on the exterior of a property.
5. Light it Up
Finally is the incorporation of lights into timber cladding. Across both residential and commercial properties, light is often combined with timber to create a sleek, minimalistic appearance. This can be achieved through the use of lighting that is either hidden or embedded into cladding. Sometimes, lighting can even be placed under or behind cladding panels to create a ‘lit-from-within’ glow.
In addition, incorporating light into the design of decking or cladding provides numerous opportunities to incorporate light, cool or colourful tones to a space, depending on your desired aesthetic.
Lighting can also be particularly effective when combined with tiered decking or timber stairs; when used in this way, lighting can assist in the creation of walkways up to and across a decking installation. Where a two-tone border has been created, lighting can accentuate the creation of a luxurious-looking border to an area or feature such as windows or doors.
Top Trending Timber Cladding from NORclad
Following the trends can lead to builds at the cutting-edge of modern design, making your project stand out among the crowds. With so many niches to go down, and cladding and decking options to match, you’re sure to produce a successful, attractive result.
Looking into timber decking or cladding for your next design project? Take a look at our range of timber cladding products to see what best suits your vision. For more tailored advice regarding your timber choice, get in touch today. Our team of friendly industry experts are on hand to offer advice suited to the specifics of your project.
Read our blog on timber cladding for coastal locations >
Explore why timber cladding is a good choice for schools and universities >
Learn about more trending design accents with our guide to greenwalls vs timber cladding >
