Don't know your budget but if it was me I would get some big pots or long - thin flower beds and plant some golden cane or bamboo. The golden cane gives you a nice green screen and looks nice with low maintenance. You can break up the pots with beds of colourful small plants e.g. agapanthus, bush lily etc . For lighting you can light up the beds or pots with outdoor spot lights that can also be solar. Wrap underneath the top wooden hand rail or along one of wires below it some warm light rope light. It's led so little energy consumption. My issue with a outdoor rug is that if left uncared for, water can stagnant and start to smell especially between the rug and the boards. The last thing I would do is get or build a new outdoor set. Styles and designs you can go through pictures in houzz and how to make stuff on YouTube and Pintrest.

Gallifrey has hit it, if Bunnings stock it, do not put it on your timber. Cutek is good but is a petrochemical. I stick to natural oil as timber is natural and ease of maintaining is essential as I have 1000m2 to look after. I have been testing and trying most for years. Stick to Organoil or livos. Both are different carrying oil so will darken timber differently. Livos (linseed) will go ever so slightly darker. Organoil in red will give a pinker tinge to the timber.

Yes Daniel, a few people have said that but it would mean replacing the painted cedar on all three gables and would also require a lot more maintenance so we have decided to go for paint. It was originally stained brown, then became cream and soon will become mule with ironstone trim unless we change our minds again. We think we might get professionals to paint it as I’ve read 70 year olds should not climb ladders and roofs. It’s tempting to paint the front ourselves (with the possibility of falling off the balcony!!!) but the sides are two storeys high.

I agree with macyjean - UV plastic plants can still fade over time and the UV sprays are a lot of work around a pool to spray artificial plants and timber sleepers can leach chemicals and/or stains staining your pool paving. For such a small area, what about a couple of bags of 35-50mm river pebbles over weed matting? It ends up being about $12 per bag of pebbles and weed matting starts at about $10 a roll - the pebbles are small enough to handle more easily but heavy enough to stay in place and save a lot of work in the long run. The pebbles come in an array of colours that will work with colour scheme you're thinking off. Then your only maintenance is to top them up every year or so and to hit any weeds that the wind blows in with a bit of Round-up.