A walkway is not the first home feature that most people enhance or install purely for beautification reasons, but it can be an incredibly appealing hardscape feature. In fact, with just the right masonry company, a new walkway in your Hollis, NH, yard could be a breathtaking sight.
Walkways are more known for their practical purposes. They’re used every day—to direct visitors to your front door, to take you from the front to the back yard, to wind around the patio to an outdoor kitchen. With unlimited laying patterns, mortar colors, and stones to match any exterior, a striking walkway can add incredible interest to your landscape. Here are three ways to create stunning masonry walkways:
Pick the Perfect Stone
The most important part of your masonry walkway is the material you choose. A red brick paver is a classic walkway choice. The look of brick complements any exterior paint color and home style. Brick paving stones can be laid in a variety of patterns, and can be mixed with other colored paving stones for a unique path.
A cooler toned stone such as gray works well with a contemporary home exterior. Sleek, dark gray, oversized rectangles, for instance, can continue a monochromatic scheme. Or block-like paving stones can look both rustic and fresh. Lightening or darkening the mortar shade also has an effect on the final walkway product.
Circular paving stones of varying sizes can add a whimsical feel to your walkway. Have them set directly in the grass for a stepping stone walk or combined with other paving stones—the effect will certainly be eye-catching.
Choose an Appealing Pattern
Stones can be laid in a random pattern or a closely directed pattern. Paving stones laid in the same direction is a classic running bond, a beautiful pattern for any stone paver. A herringbone pattern is a tight zigzag of rectangular stones. Rectangular paving stones laid two stones with two perpendicular stones to create a block look is a basket weave pattern, which is also a classic laying pattern.
Related: 4 Unique Brick-Laying Patterns that Add Interest to Any Masonry Project in Milford, NH
Asymmetrical stones can be used for a random pattern look. These can be mixed with rectangular and square paving stones to find a pattern that is exactly your own.
Adding a border can change the final appearance of the laying pattern. A border of dark stones with a light colored walkway brings some drama to your landscape. Drawing the eye to a pattern or shape, a border can identify areas within the masonry walkway that serve a particular function, like a spot for a bench to admire the flowers.
Opt for Complementary Plants
Think beyond the walkway itself. Would a mix of gorgeous plantings offer the look you want? A well-placed tree or ivy covered trellis can be a focal point of the walkway landscape, while flowering shrubs and plants placed along the sides can bring seasonal color and fragrance. Landscaping with different colored ornamental grasses is a simple yet dazzling effect. Consider pots filled with flowers to delineate the entry to your masonry walkway.
Related: Decorative Patio Border Ideas to Give Your Amherst, NH, Landscape Design a Boost
The limitless combinations and stone paving choices make each walkway in your landscape design a crucial part of your home’s overall charm.
