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Achieve a Rustic Front Entrance With the Right Driveway Pavers and Landscape Design in Wheaton IL8/20/2020  COVID-19 has brought us all closer to home, and many people are rediscovering the joys of a simpler, more rustic lifestyle. Now, you may not be raising chickens and growing all of your food, but you’ll feel even more at home with a more relaxed and simple outdoor space with a rustic, homey vibe. Here’s how you can achieve a rustic front entrance with the right driveway pavers and landscape design in Wheaton, IL.
Related: Driveway Pavers vs Patio Pavers: Is There a Difference in Hinsdale IL? Mixed Materials/ Rustic Pavers Back when people were building homes by hand, they used materials on hand. This meant mixing materials. You can do the same on your entry and driveway. For example, you can use granite cobblestones (or concrete pavers made to look like granite cobbles) as the main field of your driveway… complement that with a textured flagstone walkway and entry… and tie the look together using smooth cobblestone or dimpled brick borders. Or, you could use natural bluestone on your walkway and entry, flagstone-look concrete pavers on the driveway, and tie the look together using a natural stone seat wall that runs the length of the driveway and arcs around in a welcoming embrace at the front entry. The contrast of colors and textures will give you the best finished effect: just remember to stick to no more than three materials to prevent an overly busy look. We’ve mentioned a few different types of pavers already. The rustic look comes from irregular edges, rougher or more weathered finishes, and pronounced textures. Some concrete pavers come with rustic edges that look hand-hewn; but underneath you’ll find precision and dimensional consistency that makes it easy to interlock pavers for a sturdy surface, which is particularly important on the driveway. Flagstone, bluestone, limestone, sandstone, brick (especially distressed brick), granite, and limestone all make great rustic pavers. You can find natural paving stones or concrete pavers with a natural or vintage finish, to suit your budget and design aesthetic. When laying pavers, go for an easygoing pattern such as Ashlar, that isn’t too formal or predictable. It’s not random, but looks like it is! Landscape Tips for Rustic Spaces Making your landscape look as natural as you can will add to the rustic flair. That doesn’t mean wild and unkempt! Just avoid straight lines, formal gardens, perfectly trimmed hedges, monochromatic plantings, or too many exotics. You’ll get the best results using native plants that are perfectly adapted to your home’s location. Reduce the size of your lawn (you’ll be thrilled by the lower maintenance) and replace areas of lawn near your home with collections of native shrubs and flowers - you can think of them as little islands of nature, such as pollinator gardens that invite beneficial insects and wildlife to your landscape. Give your driveway and entry a warm welcome by guiding your visitors along a beautiful masonry wall made with stacked flagstone (whether natural or a concrete alternative), to a gently meandering walkway that’s just right for the size of your home… add some shade with local flowering trees, some cheerful color and inviting fragrance with native perennials and annuals… Foundation plantings can be simple: some ground covers reaching away from the walkway and driveway to relaxed, un-manicured shrubs and perennials. Finish the look with a welcoming stone or wooden bench at the home’s entry and a rustic stone fountain that brings the joyful and relaxing sounds of water to your landscape. Landscape lighting can be incorporated into the wall so that your attention rests on the natural features. Related: Achieve a More Welcoming Home With an Upgraded Driveway in Wheaton, IL
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 A patio is a central place to gather, converse, eat or drink, and enjoy time with loved ones. The beauty of a patio is that it can be designed to complement both your home and your existing landscape. A traditional landscape typically uses more historical-style materials, brick being a common and popular choice. Adding a brick patio to a traditional landscape design in Naperville, IL, will complete your landscape and add both value and visual appeal to your property.
Related: Check Out These Landscape Design Ideas for Large Naperville, IL Properties What is Traditional Landscaping? When designing a hardscape that acknowledges the traditional or historical significance of your home, it’s important to use materials that have been used throughout time. Brick is one of these materials. It is easy to come by, durable, and decorative with the natural color variation in each brick. Using traditional materials such as bricks is the best way to complement the design of your home and existing landscape while you create a beautiful patio that you will use and enjoy. With bricks, there is more than meets the eye. They allow you to be creative with your design, all while adding to the beauty of your traditionally landscaped lawn. Authentic Bricks From classic red, to natural hues, to dark and weathered, bricks are a go-to material for traditionally inspired hardscapes. Bricks have been around for millenia, and their beauty comes from the unique color variations in each one. Bricks that are made in the traditional way by shaping and firing clay always have an element of color variation, as the clay from the ground is never just one solid hue. Around the world, bricks can be found in many different hues, depending on the color of the natural clay found in the earth. Stay true to the traditional character of your house by working with brick colors that are native to your geographical area. Brick Patterns Bricks can be arranged together in many different patterns, which make them a very versatile material to use for your traditional patio. Especially when designing a patio with ample space to be creative, experiment in your plans with how different bricklaying patterns will look next to your house. The most well-known pattern is the running bond, where bricks are laid in horizontal lines, with each line staggered from the one before it. Get a little extra creative with a basket weave or half basket weave pattern, where bricks are laid in an alternating horizontal and vertical alignment. For an interesting zig-zag effect, try a herringbone or diagonal herringbone pattern. Add some visual dimension and define the border of your patio by laying a line of bricks end-to-end around the outside edge. Brick Pavers To achieve the traditional look of brick, along with the benefits of concrete pavers, opt for a paver that is styled to imitate bricks. With concrete pavers, you will see a more uniform color and style. Concrete paver bricks can be made to look sharp-edged and sleek, or weathered and rustic, and can imitate any color and pattern of brick, all while still achieving a traditional look to match your existing landscape. Brick-style pavers are also available in a selection of geometric shapes and varying sizes to add even more visual dimension to your patio. Finishing Touches Add a brick walkway that leads from your patio to your gardens, along your side yard to your driveway, or to another favorite part of your yard. However you choose to use bricks in your yard, they will be the perfect complement to your beautiful and traditional landscape. Related: 3 Landscaping Ideas for Making Your Naperville, IL Property More Useful |
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