We did a job in 2008 that required a large paver patio. It was about 3000 sq. ft. total. The problem with that big of a patio is it can look a little too big and gawdy. It will have a sterile look to it. This was a residential home. We didn’t want it to feel like a resort. We wanted the patio to be both formal enough to match the nice home and yet rustic enough to match the natural surroundings of the native landscape surrounding the back yard.
Our designer had a great idea for this patio. A few great ideas actually. The concepts he thought of were a little out of the ordinary for patios. But it turned out very nice. One of his ideas was to keep the border of the patio more natural. You see, most paver patios have a smooth border on them, like this patio we built in 2009;
Paver Patio we installed in SW Portland, November 2009
But with this project, he had the idea to use a more natural stone looking paver and instead of having a smooth border, we would just use the natural shape of the pavers for the border. No cutting. So he designed the patio with this unique natural border. Here is the landscape design for the patio area. You will notice the irregular border on the design;
Landscape Design by Dane DeTurk, 2008
In addition to the natural edge of the paver patio, his other fairly unique idea was to add little “islands” inside the patio. Each island would be an opportunity to add interest via a tree, shrubs, perennials, rock boulder, or even a vegitable garden we planted in one of the islands. These islands would break up the patio and give it the more natural feel we were after. It also makes the patio much more visually interesting. You feel like you’re part of an environment rather than just sitting on a huge patio.
So here are a few photos of how that job turned out. You’ll notice the natural edge of the patio and the little islands that were built into the patio to break it up.
Paver patio we installed in 2008 in Lake Oswego Oregon
Here is a photo from another vantage point;
Paver patio we installed in 2008 in Lake Oswego, Oregon
And another photo of how it turned out;
Paver patio we installed in 2008 in Lake Oswego, Oregon
And one final photo;
Paver patio we installed in 2008 in Lake Oswego, Oregon
So if you want something unique and interesting, the lesson here is to think outside the box. For me, that means using the right landscape designer. Because they almost always have more creative ideas than I do. But even I have learned to start thinking outside the box when building landscapes and hardscapes. The more interest you can add to the landscape or hardscape, the more unique your yard will be.
