Natural stone adds so much beauty to a landscape, both as focal points as well as part of the hardscape. Stone adds undeniable visual appeal. And, it’s a great way to turn a utilitarian feature into a thing of beauty. Here are some tips on accenting your Hopatcong, NJ, landscape with natural stone features.
Connect your home to Nature
Sometimes, a home can stick out like a sore thumb in a sea of grass. It just doesn’t feel like it belongs, even if it’s been there for years. This isn’t the home’s fault, it’s just a matter of landscaping. However, here are some beautiful solutions that make a home feel as one with its surroundings.
Connect your home to its natural surroundings with a curved, undulating patio and walkway using Unilock Premium Quality Natural Stone, and surround the patio with a low seating wall. The organic curved shape helps draw the eye away from the foundation of the home and helps to “ground” the home in the landscape. By varying the distance from the foundation and taking advantage of more organic shapes and natural textures, you encourage the eye to create integration between the home and the landscape. Curves create a beautiful transition between the angular lines of the home and the free forms of the landscape – but you won’t think of the space as “transitional” at all. It will be your new favorite place to hang out!
One example is this lovely Unilock Sandstone patio, as shown above; and if you love this look which works just as well for creating a walkway, pool deck, or hot tub surround), here’s more inspiration as well as information on how to create your own Unilock sandstone patio!
Related Read: Why Unilock Natural Stone?
Add “local interest”
From walkway and patio pavers to accents, natural stone is a beautiful and versatile material.
The best way to use natural stone is to choose pavers, walls, steps, and accents that occur match the natural textures of your location. For ideas, check out some historic homes in the area that are constructed with natural stone. Before mechanized transport, people used what was locally available. Chances are you’ll see a lot of slate, granite, limestone, and sandstone in local historic architecture. And it works! Natural stone walls, surfaces, and steps work equally well in rustic, suburban, traditional, or modern settings and bring one-of-a-kind beauty that gives your outdoor space personality and charm. Unilock offers not only Premium Quality Natural Limestone and Sandstone, but pavers designed to perfectly replicate historical materials, such as Richcliff in Smoke Shale for slate, Tribeca Cobble for granite cobblestone, and Rivercrest Wall for stacked flagstone.
Form and function
Retaining walls are a popular way to incorporate natural stone to manage soil on a sloped lot; to create more usable space in your backyard; and to create visual interest. Even if your landscape doesn’t “need” a retaining wall, walls can be used to create visual interest. Walls also help a small space appear larger, as the eye follows the contours and doesn’t “zoom” to the end; and, they can also help large spaces feel more human-sized. A simple sense of enclosure, even from a low wall, helps create coziness in a large space. Incorporate a wall unit with a natural texture, such as Estate Wall, and finish it off with Unilock Sandstone or Limestone Coping.
A backyard paradise
It’s hard to beat natural stone underfoot, not only for its beauty and functionality, but for its durability. Natural stone pavers from Unilock feature low water absorption, excellent freeze-thaw durability, and strength. Unilock natural stone is precisely cut and calibrated, which reduces the installation costs often associated with natural stone which must be cut and shaped on site. For more information and design ideas, contact your local Unilock Authorized Contractor today!
The title image features a Unilock Sandstone Stone Cliff Grey patio.
