hi there shellou,
you will need to clear all weeds from the area and make sure that it's all flat, before putting down a membrane [black material bought from garden centres.] we used the pea gravel in brown-ish colours but that is up to you what colour or effect you want.You will need an edging where the patio meets the lawn to keep the gravel from spreading onto the grass.When that's all done, a group of pots softens the effect. The gravel needs to be as thick as you can afford it to be [what I mean is the thicker the layer the better it looks and it's going to be walked on a lot.]other members on here will probably give you more knowledgeable advice as some of them are real pro gardeners, but for now, all I can say is that is what we did, and it looks fine.Good luck!

Hi freeasabird, thankyou for your advice , and info how to do it! I will be making a start this weekend, hopefully it will be all done by the weekend after and I will be putting decorative pots on to brighten it up

Thanks again :-)

Before you start adding any height to the ground your thinking of putting any form of base on ie in your case gravel,
Check your house air brick situation, ie how far off the ground this air brick is, And what will be the final height after you've added gravel etc.

if you go adding more height over what you've already got you could end up having serious damp/flood problems when the likes of heavy rain or snow comes along.

Using a membrane is all very well and gravel can look nice but make sure of your drainage and the damp course level of your nearest building before you start.

I agree with all of the above as I have a similar area in my garden. Buy a good quality weed membrane. The builders merchant where you buy your gravel from will be cheaper than a DIY Store and will often be available in wider sizes.
My one problem was despite having the area edged it did not stop the gravel from making its way into the lawn. As people walk it will kick up there is no avoiding it. I found that creating a low hedge border between the gravel and the lawn reduced the amount of gravel getting on the lawn and damaging the lawn mower.