CONTEMPORARY PAVING

As our busy lifestyles dictate our tastes in home decor, trends move towards cleaner, less fussy materials in our homes with smooth, uncluttered surfaces and simple, elegant lines. Our gardens become a continuation of our homes and as such, need to follow the same simplicity of design. Materials include exquisite detail, yet subtle, understated colour variations to provide a calming influence to help us unwind and relax. Examples of paving styles suited to a contemporary theme including smooth and sawn sandstone, granite, travertine, marble and terrazzo. Clean and crisp lines and subtle colour variations suited to simple, elegant design are key attributes in this range of paving styles.

Smooth, Sawn Sandstone Paving

Smooth, sawn sandstone paving is used extensively in the design of clean, crisp contemporary styled gardens as its neutral colour pallet with soft, subtle hue variations blends seamlessly with other natural materials such as the rich mahogany tones of hardwood decking and the smooth tactile texture of tumbled, sea-worn pebbles. The matt, often slightly textured surface of the sandstone does not attempt to compete with other bolder features within the design; preferring to simply form an elegant back-drop to the garden.

To look at our entire range of contemporary style paving click here, or click on your favourite picture from the small selection of our range below to find out more.

Smooth, sawn sandstone paving is generally available in neutral shades of cream and soft beige, peach and warm brown and silver to mid greys. The surface is smooth and level and often includes a sand-blasted finish to increase non-slip properties.

Smooth, Sawn Limestone Paving

Limestone is the new contender in the contemporary paving popularity stakes and is now available in either dark, almost black shades or buttermilk colours in a smooth or lightly sandblasted finish. Limestone offers less colour variation than sandstone and has colours that are generally not seen in the sawn sandstone product ranges. It most often has a slightly stippled surface increasin non-slip properties.

The following images show examples of the sawn limestone products now available.

Click here to see all sawn limestone paving products or on the small selection shown below to find out more.

Granite Paving

Granite paving is known for its strength and hard-wearing properties and has been used for many years as a core product in commercial applications requiring a paving product offering longevity and durability. For this reason, granite paving has often been overlooked as an attractive product in the domestic market and yet it has far more to offer than just its robust, hard-wearing qualities. Granite is an igneous stone formed as a result of volcanic activity and its structure is therefore very consistent with a speckled colouring. The speckles are usually formed from a variety of minerals, but also include a range of crystallised minerals giving the stone a sparkle.

To look at our entire range of granite paving click here, or click on your favourite picture to find out more.

The uniformity of colour within granite paving appeals to many seeking a stone suitable for a contemporary scheme. Granite paving is generally available in silver to dark greys and almost black (often known as basalt). Other colours include pink and beige. The surface is level, but textured to make it an ideal option around swimming pools or other areas where a non-slip surface is essential.

Terrazzo Paving

Terrazzo paving is a form of polished conctrete stone and in many cases, includes real stone chippings of marble of granite in the surface layer. Traditionally, terrazzo style paving was created by Venetian stoneworkers who would use leftover marble stone chippings from large palaces and homes and embed them in the clay around their own homes. They would polish the stone until it became smooth. These days, terrazzo paving styles are manufactured in a range of black, grey, white, cream, beige and chocolate brown shades to offer a very cool and sophisticated look to your garden. They are generally available in both smooth and textured finishes.

To see all terrazzo, polished concrete style paving click here or click on the pictures below to find out more.

Urban Garden Ideas