Connecting the different parts of your landscape with walkways is one of the best ways to get up close and personal with your landscape and create a welcoming environment. Using pavers in your walkway design will elevate your project and improve its longevity. Once you’ve come up with your walkway design, it’s time to think creatively about how to make it truly unique. Here are six creative ways to accent a new paver walkway in Schuylkill County and Lehigh County, PA.
Related: 5 Landscape Tips for Your Paver Walkway and Paver Driveway in Wescosville, PA
Contrasting Borders
The borders of your patio project make up wonderful opportunities to emphasize beauty. You can use contrasting borders or make them more subtle; either way, a border adds personality to your walkway. A bold contrast could involve completely different pavers in a different color – or the same pavers in a different color. A more subtle paver could involve the same paver laid in a different pattern, or a different paver in a slightly different color. The borders can also be a different texture, such as a brushed surface. This distinction helps to enhance the visual aspect of the walkway. During snow removal, a border also helps to identify the edge of the landscape so as not to disturb soil or damage surrounding plants.
Creative Inlays
Within the walkway itself, there are also options to create wonderful patterns, enhancing beauty and adding character. Use the same idea of contrasting borders and employ contrasting pavers inside the layout of the walkway. Use either perfectly straight lines for more modern applications or a brick-type diagonal or curving trajectory for more rustic landscapes. The increased detail in the walkway will draw the eyes down the walkway, creating an enticing welcome to the next part of your landscape.
Retaining Wall and Seat Walls
Some landscapes are naturally curvaceous or hilly, allowing for the application of a beautiful masonry retaining wall. These walls provide numerous functions, including erosion prevention, physical boundaries between areas, housing for light fixtures, and support for decorations. Beyond those, retaining walls make excellent places for low seat walls. These seats provide a place to relax and chat with friends and family as they first arrive in your front yard or enjoy the company and scenery in your backyard.
A Welcoming Landing
At their first arrival, your guests should be greeted into a welcoming environment just outside your door. This so-called landing is the transition into your home and should be relaxing, pretty, safe, and well-illuminated at night. Use the same paver design that’s used in your walkways to come to a satisfying conclusion in the small flat patio space right outside the front door. Provide some great lighting that softly illuminates the ground, the entryway, and to a lesser extent, the surrounding landscape.
Outdoor Decorations
Your front yard, or any open part of your landscape really, can be adorned with personalized decorations such as sculptures or fountains. These decorative features help provide a great atmosphere with a little creative flair and make the simple act of walking around your landscape an interesting affair.
Several Lighting Techniques
Nighttime illumination is absolutely essential for a safe and welcoming environment. Use pathway lights that are low to the ground to provide a focused and efficient light source, clearly showing the path that should be taken. Beyond this, use a variety of different lighting techniques in the landscape to create detailed visual texture. The right lighting strategy will help your guests feel at ease and your property more secure.
