Defining what “is” an outdoor patio sounds like a broad concept. Is your outdoor patio primarily in the backyard, or does it include a front yard patio area? Think about how you want to utilize your outdoor patio space. Do you want a small seating space outside your front door where you can enjoy a morning coffee and watch the cars go by? Will you be entertaining friends and family? Choose a set of pavers or other vertical elements to help complement the space you have available in order to better realize your usage requirements and overall vision.
All design considerations
Paver Patio Ideas & Design Inspiration
More and more families are opting to spend time at home, and so naturally you’ll want a beautiful paver patio that feels like an organic addition to the home. It’s important to choose the appropriate patio paver and retaining wall materials that will make your area stand out above the rest. Whether you are designing a front outdoor patio with a retaining wall or a backyard patio with an outdoor kitchen or magnificent fire feature, Unilock has got you covered.
Define your paver patio space
Building UP your outdoor patio
If you feel you don’t have enough space to build out your outdoor paver patio, consider building up. Step treads as well as retaining walls can help account for changes in elevation, and create outdoor “rooms” to serve different purposes. For example, an elevated patio can be the perfect space to build a multi-purpose outdoor kitchen and grill island, with an adjacent seating area for evening meals. Add a fire pit to your lower deck with outdoor patio chairs to create a cozy gathering space at night to unwind with toasted marshmallows.
Design with safety as a priority
Designing a kid-friendly backyard will ensure that your entire family can enjoy the outdoor space safely. If you’re designing a pool deck on your patio, consider installing a glass fence around the perimeter of the deck for an added barrier of safety to keep children from wandering into the pool. Additionally, choose barefoot friendly, non-slip pavers to avoid slips, trips and falls. A luscious garden or retaining wall can help delineate the borders of play areas.
Choosing the right patio paver for the job
Choosing the right paver for your outdoor project may be daunting. While choosing colors should be done with harmony in mind, it's crucial to consider what function the pavers will serve. An outdoor patio created with Unilock products will help enhance your home's current qualities. Speak with a Unilock Authorized Contractor to determine the appropriate colors you would like to use for your outdoor project's design.
Elevate your patio design with ultra-modern products
Whether brick or wood, the architecture of your home can help visually guide your patio paver design. Take our Elegance™ line of pavers, including Courtstone® and Copthorne® in a Basalt tone, which have proven to be an excellent choice as a patio paver accent border. Check out our Products page to determine which pavers are designed for outdoor patios.
Customize paver designs to make your patio stand out
The variety of choices we offer is what makes Unilock attractive. Create a unique look for your outdoor patio by adding accent pavers or bright colors. To help accentuate the elegance of your patio, try adding vertical elements like planters, pillars, and garden walls.
Unexpected Texture Combinations and Bold Color Contrasts
Creating an eye-catching outdoor space involves combining contrasting colors and textures to set your hardscape apart. Sleek modern textures from our Umbriano™ or Series™ pavers can be paired with richly textured pavers like Richcliff® or Beacon Hill™ Flagstone for a striking effect. Similarly, the timeworn brick style of Copthorne® pavers can complement the realistic flagstone texture of Beacon Hill™ Flagstone. Using colors that contrast and highlight each other, such as the light/dark contrast of Courtstone® in Basalt with Brussels Block® in Sandstone, or the colorful mix of Bristol Valley® in Bavarian with Town Hall® in Burgundy Red, enhances the visual impact.
Choose a laying pattern for your paver patio design
Utilize a number of different paving textures in distinct laying patterns to create eye-catching works of art. Not only does a laying pattern help elevate your home’s curb appeal, but can be used to define standing and seating spaces throughout your outdoor space. The long, rectangular shape of Unilock Town Hall or Mattoni pavers can be used to create the perfect paver rug when laid in a traditional herringbone pattern, with an interlocking design that helps to resist paver shifting.
Opt for Natural Stone in Your Hardscape Design
For a classic, timeless look for your paver patio project, nothing beats the authentic beauty and durability of natural stone. With options like Sandstone, Limestone, and Granite, Unilock natural stone products not only look stunning, but are chosen for their low water absorption, freeze-thaw durability, and strength. Plus, all Unilock natural stone is ethically sourced from quarries that prioritize integrity, safety, and fairness, and do not employ child labor, giving you additional peace of mind.
Cook Up a Custom Outdoor Kitchen Design for Your Paver Patio
The kitchen holds so many cherished memories shared with family and friends, and if you love grilling or making pizzas, an outdoor kitchen can become your own personal entertaining space and cooking haven. We offer a range of wall products that let you create a custom outdoor kitchen just the way you like it, with all the features you'd find indoors. If you want something unique, our U-Cara® Multi-Face Wall System is a solid choice. Build a custom look for your outdoor kitchen using different fascia panels in various textures, colors, or opt for the U-Cara® Modular System, which consists of aluminum-framed cabinets that can be built and installed anywhere you place it. If your kitchen needs plumbing or electricity, our Unilock Authorized Contractors can help you figure out the best setup and coordinate any subcontractors that may be required.
Bring Shade to Your Patio With a Pergola
Designing an outdoor paver patio with an overhead structure like a pergola is a great way to add shade and style to your outdoor space. A pergola with its trellis-like roof can either extend from your home’s existing roof or stand on its own with pillar columns and footers. Pergolas create a cozy spot to relax in and enjoy the breeze with some filtered sunlight. Adding plants, like vines at the base of the columns, can help blend the wood and stone with the natural surroundings.
Transform Your Paver Patio with a Tranquil Water Feature
The sight and sound of flowing water can have incredibly calming effects, making water features a wonderful addition to any backyard paver patio. At Unilock, we offer a range of paver and wall products to create custom water features like water walls, fountains, and spillways. These features can stand alone or be integrated into existing walls or pool decks, creating the illusion of water naturally seeping through the paved surface.
Add Warmth and Coziness to Your Paver Patio with an Outdoor Fire Pit or Fireplace
Outdoor fire pits and fireplaces, whether lit or not, make a fantastic focal point in any outdoor space. Fire pits let you enjoy the crackling flames while roasting marshmallows, and outdoor fireplaces bring the warmth and charm of indoor fireplaces outside, creating a cozy centerpiece for reading your favorite book or enjoying your morning coffee. No matter which fire feature you choose, you can work with your Unilock Authorized Contractor to design a custom fire feature tailored to your unique outdoor space.
Design a Living Room in your backyard!
Unilock offers a variety of paver and wall solutions to transform your patio into a warm and cozy outdoor living room. Enhance your backyard with living room features like a fireplace, built-in TV wall, chairs, couches, coffee table, and integrated patio lighting. Use different types of pavers to create a patterned "rug" and add a decorative accent band to define the space as a distinct outdoor room. Complete your outdoor living area design with a shaded pergola on Unilock pillar columns, which will protect you from the elements while letting you enjoy the open air from all sides.
Integrating Nature with Hardscaping with Biophilic Design
Biophilic design is gaining popularity in the hardscaping industry. This approach aims to bring people and nature closer within the built environment, to improve the health and well-being of those using the space. You can achieve this by using garden walls that add vibrant pops of color against muted paved surfaces, incorporating natural textures and colors inspired by wood, fire, and water, or creating a stepping-stone effect by interspersing pavers with artificial turf.
Go green with permeable paving
Permeable patio pavers are a viable option for homeowners seeking a green substitute. In order to prevent surface flooding, these pavers are designed with a larger gap between the stones. This allows rainfall to naturally drain back into the subsoil. Unilock is the first in North America to introduce and provide a broad range of permeable pavers, enhancing the beauty and functionality of any outdoor design project.
Illuminating your outdoor space at night
Often considered an afterthought, landscape lighting is essential when it comes to safety and wayfinding. Aside from being aesthetically pleasing, lighting has practical applications, especially when properly installed into patio pavers or vertical applications. Other forms of landscape lighting include tiki torches, pot lights, fairy lights and LED lights.
Secure your patio floor with edge restraints
Some of the most essential materials are the ones that are hiding in plain sight. For any patio installation, edge restraints are vital to preventing shifting due to weather changes or foot traffic. If not restrained properly, pavers will slowly creep into the softer surrounding materials, creating large gaps around the perimeter of the area. Consider a simple technique that can help you optimize your design: an invisible edge system spiked into the base.
How to maintain your Unilock patio with care
Choosing a Unilock product is an investment in quality. With the best of both worlds in terms of aesthetic beauty and functionality, our pavers now offer a greater level of quality than ever thanks to our proprietary range of product technologies. Care and maintenance for your pavers is paramount, so there are a few things you need to keep in mind when it comes to maintaining your pavers for a lifetime.
Cleaning pesky seasonal stains from your patio
In the spring and fall, dirt and leaves can be a hassle, especially if they taint your pavers. A stiff broom with soft bristles, dish soap and a power washer on a low setting can be used to remove troublesome stains. Never use wire brushes since they will damage the pavers and leave unsightly scratch marks on the surface.
Winter Maintenance
Maintaining pavers during the winter can be challenging. Use caution when working with ice and make sure the right de-icing solutions are being applied. A common and commonly available de-icing salt is sodium chloride (sometimes known as rock salt). An alternative solution is installing permeable pavers on your outdoor patio, as they absorb all rainwater back into the subsoil, ensuring no liquid settles and freeze on the surface.
Protect your outdoor patio with the proper sealing solution
It’s virtually impossible to avoid staining or minor spills at some point in your patio’s lifespan, but there are ways to maintain your patio when events like these occur. For instance, after the installation of a new patio, a white powdery substance known as efflorescence may occasionally occur on the surface. This usually goes away over time but you can try a simple soap-and-water solution to clean the surface. Other times you may need an efflorescence remover to remove the haze. Additionally, sealing offers the best defense for your Unilock patio. Applying a sealer, which is normally done every three to five years, can help preserve the stone's natural beauty by avoiding algae growth, acid erosion, and salt damage. The optimum sealing products to use for your chosen paver should be determined by speaking with your Authorized Contractor. Note that some of our products come with EasyClean Technology built into the paver, which is a special factory applied coating that ensures efficient stain protection.
Choose the best paver, not the cheapest
It’s important to keep in mind that regardless of which products you choose, the cost of pavers is typically only 20% of the overall project budget, so choose the paver you like best. Even the more expensive pavers do not affect the project price dramatically. The rest of the cost of the project is mostly labor. Work with your Authorized Contractor to choose a range of products, colors and styles you’ll love for the long haul. We recommend choosing a product from either our EnduraColor or Elegance lines for higher durability, color retention and aesthetic beauty benefits. One of the major benefits in working with pavers as opposed to traditional poured concrete is that if one stone is stained or damaged, it’s easy to replace.
Knowledge Center
We're Here
to Help
Find a Contractor you can trust
Working with a Unilock Authorized Contractor is working with the best of the best. Our UACs possess the knowledge and expertise to bring your dream project to life, and deliver stunning results that will exceed your expectations.
Browse our Design Idea Catalog
Explore endless design possibilities through our Design Idea Catalog. Browse our extensive portfolio of paver and wall products, and get inspired by our outstanding design projects that will fuel your creative expression.
Visit an Outdoor Idea Center
Experience the beauty and quality of Unilock paver and wall products in a life-sized setting by visiting a local Outdoor Idea Center. Our knowledgeable and friendly staff are on hand to answer any questions and offer free product samples.
