The title image features Brussels Block pavers and Brussels Dimensional System.
Incorporating color into outdoor kitchens in Arlington, VA, can be as simple or extravagant as you like. In this post we’ll discuss a few ways to add a pop of color, how to make your outdoor kitchen a visual centerpiece, and how to avoid a cluttered and overdone look.
Related Read: Combining Fire and Water in Your Landscape
The Rule of Threes
In general, this is the best place to start when choosing colors, shapes, finishes, and textures of both your patio pavers and wall units: You probably don’t want to exceed three types of pavers or three types of wall blocks. This approach will give you plenty of color variation without overwhelming the scene. Basically, you’ll have one field paver (or main wall unit) and one or two accents. These accents can be completely different colors, shapes, finishes, and textures than the main field, but they should all work together.
For example, you might find an outdoor kitchen floor using an Umbriano field paver from Unilock in Winter Marvel, with an oversized brick border (Unilock Series pavers in Black Granite) that transitions into the vertical elements of the kitchen such as a Unilock Pitched Face U-Cara Multi-Face Wall System blocks in Steel Mountain. Tie the U-Cara wall together using the Series Exposed blocks in Black Granite as a perfect accent to what’s underfoot.
Or you could use a field paver such as the rustic tumbled Unilock Brussels Block paver in Sandstone bordered by a brick-and-cobblestone band using Unilock Copthorne in Burnt Clay and Unilock Courtstone pavers in Basalt, which can also both be used as an accent band within a Unilock Brussels Dimensional System wall also in Sandstone.
Warm vs. Cool Tones
For the most pleasing look, stick to one color family: warm or cool. Warm tones are earthy—ranging from sand to dark chocolate. Cool tones are the gray family, ranging from the color of mist to a dark gray. As you can see in the examples above, you can still add color to introduce another later of interest.
The Art of Mixing Colors
Unilock products are often designed to go together, such as the Umbriano pavers and U-Cara Multi-Face Wall System. This means your horizontal and vertical spaces will mesh perfectly. This gives you the opportunity to use banding and borders to add color.
Or you could mix colors within a product line to achieve a more unique outdoor living space. For example, Unilock Richcliff pavers (which are an amazing substitute for natural bluestone) come in three colors: Pebble Taupe, Smoke Shale, and Dawn Mist. You can mix two or all three colors together to give the random appearance of bluestone. This adds color and character to your patio, an achievement not possible with just one color.
Pairing this three-way color combination of Richcliff pavers with Unilock Rivercrest Wall in Coastal Slate is a dynamic way to achieve the look of natural stone.
Likewise, if you love the look of brick-style pavers, you could add beautiful blended colors to your outdoor kitchen using Unilock Town Hall pavers. Depending on your preferences, blended colors could result in a stunning effect. For example, Heritage Red with Burgundy Red; or Heritage Clay with Old Oak and Burnt Clay. Pair this with Unilock Lineo Dimensional Stone walls for your outdoor kitchen. Choose a lighter color such as Almond Grove, which will bring out the beauty of the brick-style pavers.
These are just a few ideas for adding color to the heart of your outdoor living space. Check out the Unilock Dream page for more inspiration!
