If last year’s “stay-at-home summer” brought to light any shortcomings of your outdoor living space, you’re probably eager to get started on a landscape design that will work better for you. To inspire you, here are six backyard design ideas from masonry contractors in the Sterling Heights and Macomb, MI, areas.
1. Creature Comforts
Today’s patios are virtual extensions of indoor living. Perhaps nothing could give you the warm feeling of a cozy living room in your outdoor space than an outdoor fireplace or fire pit. Around your cooking area, a fire table could set the scene for a sophisticated dining experience. Any fire feature can become a focal point that invites people to gather around and share conversation and laughter.
Another way to infuse your patio with comfort is to add a wood-fired pizza oven, either as a stand-alone feature or incorporated into an outdoor kitchen or fireplace. Who can resist the aroma of fresh, bubbly hot pizza?
Finally, don’t forget shelter. A stylish wood pergola sitting atop stone pillars would give your patio a finished, elegant look that transcends style trends. This timeless piece will be the scene of many wonderful days and evenings in the great outdoors!
2. Large Format Pavers and Plank Pavers
Achieve a clean, uncluttered and stylish look on your patio, walkway, and pool deck by using large format pavers and/or plank pavers. Large format pavers (for example, 24” squares or 24” x 36” rectangles) are a wonderful way to make a space feel larger, by reducing the number of joint lines. Plank pavers contribute to a long, linear look, and they can mimic the look of wood or stone. While small pavers such as brick size pavers will always have a place, larger pavers work to create a space that is both soothing (less visually cluttered) and dynamic (with bold patterns).
3. Contrasting Textures
A modern patio tends to have less embellishment and more emphasis on the beauty inherent in the material. You could contrast a rugged stacked-flagstone retaining wall (whether it’s made of natural stone or manufactured stone) with a smooth-textured paver patio, or you could have a smooth-walled grill station alongside a flagstone-inspired paver patio. This way, your eye is drawn to the differences in material. It’s a beautiful strategy for creating multiple striking focal points out of what would otherwise be ordinary backyard features.
4. Experience-Based Spaces
With a growing trend toward activity zones in backyard living spaces, there is demand for outdoor spaces designed for unique experiences. Multi-level patios (for example, stepping up from the main patio that houses an outdoor kitchen and dining space to an elevated lounge area), raised masonry planters, and even separate patios connected by stepping stone walkways are options that give a backyard a similar definition as indoor rooms. This approach is an opportunity to clearly separate spaces, mix and match masonry styles or building materials, as well as to create visual interest in flat backyards.
5. Permeable Pavers
Permeable pavers let rain and snowmelt seep into the ground between the slightly larger joint spaces. This can keep your patio and walkway drier, and it’s an eco-friendly solution that helps complete the natural cycle of water (instead of forcing water to run off a solid surface into the storm drain system).
6. Edible Gardens
Raised bed edible gardens let you experience the joy of growing your own food, and can reduce your landscape’s eco-footprint by reducing a portion of the lawn with attractive cultivated areas.
