At Bord Bia Bloom 2025, The Downsizers’ Garden by Louise Checa stands out as a beautifully practical space that adapts to changing needs. Awarded both a Gold Medal and Best in Category – Best Planting, this garden shows how downsizing doesn’t mean sacrificing style or function. Millboard is proud to have contributed to a design that puts real-life usability, comfort, and low-maintenance living at its heart.
This year at Bord Bia Bloom, one of the standout show gardens is built around a simple, but powerful idea: our needs change over time, and the spaces around us should evolve with them. That’s the thinking behind the Downsizers’ Garden, designed by landscape architect Louise Checa—a space that shows how downsizing doesn’t have to mean compromising on quality, beauty, comfort, or how you enjoy your outdoor space.
The garden received a prestigious Gold Medal Award and was also named Best in Category – Best Planting, marking it as one of the top highlights at Bloom 2025.
Millboard is proud to have its products featured in this thoughtfully constructed garden, which puts emphasis on real-world usability, accessibility, and design that makes sense for how people actually live. Whether you’re moving to a smaller home or just rethinking how your outdoor space works, this garden shows how good design can adapt and support that transition.
A Practical Approach to Downsizing
The Downsizers’ Garden is a medium-sized plot, designed for people who may be moving on from a larger family home or garden, and are now looking for something more manageable without giving up the things they value—like time outside, ease of access, style and low maintenance.
The layout is deliberately straightforward. There’s a covered pergola with a bench for reading or relaxing, a dining space that can be used day-to-day or for hosting visitors, an outdoor kitchen, and a patio that catches the sun. These areas are connected by wide, accessible pathways that support mobility at all stages of life.
Raised planters reduce the need for bending and make the garden easier to maintain. Planting choices are considered for their impact and durability—lush enough to feel green and full but chosen to stay looking good without constant attention.
Everything has been designed to be usable without being overwhelming. It's a garden for real life.
The Role of Materials: Where Millboard Products Fit In
At the heart of this garden are the materials that make it work day-to-day, and that’s where Millboard’s resin mineral Enhanced Grain decking and Envello Board & Batten+ cladding in Golden Oak come in.
Louise Checa chose Millboard products because they support her design intent: a garden that’s durable, attractive, safe underfoot, and doesn’t require a lot of upkeep. Here’s how they contribute:
1. Visual Warmth with Practical Benefits
The Golden Oak finish of both the decking and cladding brings a natural, warm-toned look that complements the greenery and brick tones in the garden. Unlike traditional timber, there’s no worry about it greying, warping, or requiring yearly treatment. That’s a big plus for people who want something that looks great but doesn’t need hours of upkeep.
2. Safe, Highly Slip-Resistant Surfaces
For many people, especially those downsizing, safety is a top priority. Millboard decking is designed to be highly slip-resistant—even in wet conditions—making it a reliable surface for all weather. That makes it well-suited to gardens where mobility and accessibility are key considerations.
3. Durability That Lasts
Unlike timber or wood-composite alternatives, Millboard resin mineral composite decking and cladding doesn’t absorb moisture and won’t rot, split, or attract algae. That means it keeps performing year after year without needing to be sanded, sealed, or stained.
In this garden, the Millboard materials work alongside the rest of the build to create a low-maintenance, long-lasting space. It’s not just about appearances—these materials make the garden function better.
4. Flexibility of Use
In this layout, Millboard decking is used to create level surfaces that connect the different zones. That continuity makes the space feel cohesive and easy to navigate. The cladding provides a vertical element that adds warmth to built structures and contrasts with the planting and hardscaping.
Because of the consistent colour and intricate, organic, grain detail, both products help anchor the garden visually without dominating it. They work with the rest of the design, rather than shouting for attention.
About the Designer: Louise Checa
This is the second Bord Bia Bloom show garden from Louise Checa, a French-trained, Dublin-based landscape architect with experience designing both public and private outdoor spaces. Louise is a chartered member of the Irish Landscape Institute and has previously participated in the International Garden Festival of Chaumont-sur-Loire in France. Her first Bloom garden in 2024 received a silver-gilt medal.
Louise’s work is grounded in function as much as form. She designs gardens that reflect the way people live today, often focusing on usability, accessibility, and long-term durability. In this project, she’s applied that approach to a garden that anticipates how people’s needs shift over time—especially when moving to a smaller property or simplifying their lifestyle.
Her choice of materials, from easy-care planting to highly slip-resistant and low maintenance decking, reflects that thinking. This is a garden that supports independence, mobility, and relaxation—without demanding too much in return.
Why It Matters
As more people think about downsizing, accessibility, and sustainable living, there’s increasing demand for spaces that match those priorities. But while we often focus on indoor renovations, outdoor spaces are just as important. A well-designed garden can add value, boost wellbeing, and provide a place to unwind or entertain.
This garden shows that you don’t need a big space or a complex layout to achieve those things. What matters is how the space is put together—and the materials used to support it.
Millboard’s decking and cladding fit naturally into this kind of approach. They offer the look and feel of real wood without the hassle and high-level of maintenance. They’re safe, strong, and well suited to both new builds and garden makeovers.
Come and See It for Yourself
The Downsizers’ Garden is now on display at Bord Bia Bloom 2025. Whether you’re visiting for inspiration or thinking about your own outdoor space, it’s worth taking the time to walk through and see how the design and materials come together.
You’ll find Millboard decking and cladding in the garden’s main paths and built structures. It’s a great way to see how our products perform in a live setting, integrated into a design that’s built around the real needs of people at every stage of life.
We’re proud to be involved in a project that doesn’t just look good—but works well, too.
