When you are planning for the perfect outdoor living space, you may want to keep in mind some of the finer details in design that will give the space a finished look. This will help you and your landscaping contractor express your vision and make your landscape truly special. Here’s what masonry contractors may suggest for fine details for a backyard feature in Canton and Macomb, MI.
Patio Flourishes
Your finished patio could become an exquisite representation of who you are, as well as meeting your family’s practical outdoor lifestyle needs. Whether you choose natural stone or pavers, you can be sure the space will last for generations and act as the activity hub where most outdoor living activities take place. Using the design aesthetics of your home and landscape, you can create a work of art. These will come in the form of textures, finishes, laying patterns, decorative inlays and accents, and borders.
Textures: You can create visual interest by subtle changes in texture. For example, your main patio surface could feature a smooth texture. Under your outdoor dining table or in front of an outdoor fireplace, you could create a subtle outdoor “area rug” that features the same paver color but in a different texture such as a flagstone texture. Of course this contrast could be made bolder with a change in color as well, but a subtle difference can often feel more elegant.
Finishes: Some pavers come in a variety of finishes within one product line. This allows you to use one cohesive size, but create visual interest with different finishes. For example, some pavers could feature a distressed matte texture, while others show off a more polished, timeworn surface.
Laying patterns: Bring attention to various parts of the patio by changing up the laying patterns. A pattern such as the ashlar pattern, which would give your patio a relaxed randomly laid feel, could be contrasted with a more structured border of bricks laid in a sailor bond. Again, you can make this subtle or bold depending on your choice of colors. Even if you’re using the same material throughout—such as clay brick—you can use different laying patterns to create visual separation between spaces, and add incredible character to the space.
Accents: Minimalism is a practice that extends into patio design and is very useful to help create a soothing, unfussy space you can truly relax in. However, adding flourishes within the patio such as inlays can ensure a pop of color, adding a focal point that can express your personality. They can also be more subtle, such as inlays that are just a shade or two lighter or darker than the field pavers.
Borders: Adding borders to your patio design is a way to help define spaces, offer structural support to the outermost pavers, and add a little flourish to your outdoor living space. These borders can be as simple as a darker shade of the same type of patio paver or they can be as visually striking as a contrasting brick or tile from a faraway land showing a gorgeous pattern and swath of color.
Using these flourishes on the periphery of your patio is common, but you can also use them within the patio to separate your dining area from your pool deck, or your fine garden beds from your lounge area.
Related: 4 Masonry Ideas for Your Backyard Design in Macomb and Troy, MI
