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 Integrating a brick patio well suited to your Wheaton, IL, home’s modern backyard requires a lot of careful consideration when it comes to choosing materials and making design decisions. Here are the important details you’ll want to consider when designing your modern patio.
Choosing the Right Colors Choosing the right colors for your patio pavers is the first step to making sure your patio integrates well into your home’s design. Modern patios generally favor subdued hues, predominantly in the gray to white spectrum. More importantly, the colors should match the exterior of your home to help keep the entire design consolidated. You can always add a touch of drama and contrasting colors by choosing more vivid pavers for borders and accents to help your patio stand out. Related: 5 Reasons Why a Brick Patio is a Must Have for Your Naperville, IL Outdoor Living Area Paver Texture and Design Choosing the right paver design and texture is as vitally important as choosing the right color. Modern landscape design is characterized by smooth surface finishes and textures, clean edges, and sharp, straight lines. You probably want to choose a paver that ticks all these boxes and stay away from more traditional paver designs. Complement your modern pavers with an equally clean and minimalist laying pattern that helps set a modern tone for the entire patio’s design. Patio Furniture With the important hardscaping considerations out of the way, it’s time to choose the right patio furnishings. For seating, choose minimalist patio furniture that has a clean design and feature predominantly straight lines with minimal curves in the construction. The colors should ideally comply with the same rules as the patio pavers, but you can choose more vivid colors if you feel your patio could use some brightening up. Stick with more modern construction materials such as metal and glass to complete the look. Softscaping No landscape design is complete without some greenery, and this holds for modern patios as well. Choose rectangular planters and pots and neat plants without too many irregularities. If you have flowerbeds and hedges surrounding the patio and the walkways leading to it, make sure they are well maintained with straight, consistent edges and well-ordered plants. Fire and Water Features Every patio needs a focal point, and that’s a fitting role for a fire pit or water feature. For modern patios, a square or rectangular fire pit balances the rustic appeal of a traditional fire pit while still complying with the modern design language. If you want something more modern, a fire table with a glass surface or marble surface is also an option. For water features, you’ll want to stay away from traditional water fountains and ponds, and instead choose a minimalist water feature such as a modern waterfall with a clean and consistent water flow and good lighting. Related: When to Repair or Replace a Brick Patio in Hinsdale, IL Landscape Lighting Designing a proper lighting plan is the last step for a modern patio and is not only important from a design perspective but also to ensure the safety and security of your backyard. As a general rule, choose subtle lighting that is well-placed and unobtrusive. Recessed lighting works wonderfully in modern patios as it is inconspicuous and understated. For sconces and path lights, choose minimalist holders in subtle colors to comply with the overall landscape design.
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 Choosing a landscape design that makes the most of your Wheaton, IL, patio can be a challenge. You want something that would be aesthetically pleasing yet unique, while still being practical for daily use. Here are five inspirations to help you decide on your patio’s design.
Related: Benefits of Hiring a Fully Insured Landscaping Company to Service a Hinsdale, IL, Property Kitchen Patio A kitchen-centric patio is a perfect choice for a food lover. Naturally, it starts with designing the perfect outdoor kitchen integrated into your patio. This can include the seating and dining areas. The kitchen would be the highlight of the patio in such a design, so it is important to choose the right materials and appliances to help assert a focal position. Stainless steel appliances coupled with striking colors for the kitchen island and floor are a good starting point. Multi-level Patio If your home’s landscape involves gradient changes, a multi-level terraced patio can be an excellent design option. It helps showcase your yard’s distinctive vertical element while opening up flat space for the construction. The patio can be spread over multiple levels connected with walkways and steps. The different levels can also be segregated with different functions, such as the higher level being used for seating and dining while the lower levels house the grill or outdoor kitchen. It's important to also pay attention to practical safety considerations, such as reinforcing the terraces with retaining walls if necessary. Fire and Water Fire elements and water elements are among the most distinctive features in landscape design, and having both can really make your patio shine. Fire features such as fire pits and fireplaces are a natural complement to patios, providing warmth and light to occupants as they sit around them. Water elements can range from a simple fountain to a more elaborate pond complete with waterfall, enhancing your patio’s atmosphere with the distinctive sound of running water. Having these two naturally contrasting elements together can create a wonderfully unique design for your patio. Related: Challenges in Landscape Design and How Our Team Can Help in Wheaton, IL Rustic Patio A rustic patio is especially well suited for traditional homes. Start with choosing a brick paver to give your patio the traditional charm of old European and American cities. Modern concrete pavers are also a great choice since they are available in a wide range of traditional brick designs, giving you the authentic look with all the advantages of modern concrete. Complement the patio with strategically placed plantings, gravel walkways, and wood fencing in accordance with the rustic theme. A traditional fire pit can complete the design and give you a final product that stands out. Modern Patio For more modern homes, a minimalist patio would be a natural choice. Choose a modern paver that suits the exterior design of your home and features subtle colors with sharp lines and clean edges. Modern materials such as metal and glass could be used for patio furniture to complement the minimalist design. For purists of this style, walkways and softscaping should be feature straight, neat edges and irregular shapes should be avoided. Lastly, if you want a distinctive fire element, choose a rectangular fire pit or a modern fire table to give your modern patio a visual focal point.  If you are looking for a versatile patio style to elevate your Naperville, IL outdoor living space, a brick patio might just be the perfect option. Brick urban structures have been a mainstay of European and American cities for centuries, and here are 5 reasons to incorporate the magic of brick into your landscape design. The Classic Aesthetics One of the primary reasons for choosing a brick patio is its evergreen, classic look that pairs beautifully with almost every design language. To accent a modern home, you could choose a brick-style paver that retains the small form factor with sharper lines and a sleeker look. For more traditional homes and landscapes, the traditional brick paver fits in seamlessly with its textured and irregular surface. This design flexibility also extends to softscaping as bricks can complement both modern and traditional plant choices. Related: When to Repair or Replace a Brick Patio in Hinsdale, IL Wide Range of Color Options Today’s brick patios are rarely made out of actual clay bricks thanks to modern concrete pavers. This offers a number of advantages, one being the much wider range of colors and textures that are available. Having a wide range of color and texture options can offer amazing design versatility and help you create a patio that blends in with the exterior of the home. It also makes it easier to adapt your design to match existing masonry around your yard, as well as create distinct borders and accents by using pavers with contrasting colors and textures. Durability and Easy Maintenance Concrete pavers in the style of brick are wonderfully easy to maintain and are highly durable. In contrast to traditional clay bricks, concrete is significantly stronger and can stand up well to the rigours of daily life. Moreover, maintenance is also easier as there is a steady and reliable supply of matching pavers available from manufacturers. Concrete brick pavers are more resistant to fading from constant exposure to UV light and retain their color better in the long run. Lastly, they are also more practical with features such as stain-resistance and anti-slip surface textures that can massively improve the usability of your patio. Related: 6 Practical Landscape Design Tips for a Functional Outdoor Living Space Helping Raise Curb Appeal and Value When it comes to curb appeal, the universal appeal of brick patios gives them a distinct advantage over more modern patios. A well-installed brick patio can help raise the value of your home and provide an excellent return on investment when it becomes time to sell. It can also have a positive effect on the curb appeal of your home, especially if you choose a more vibrant color that is easily visible from the street. Coupled with a quality outdoor lighting plan, you can extend the appreciation of your brick patio into the later hours of the day, making it a shining highlight of your home even after the sun has set. Design Freedom with Other Materials The design flexibility offered by brick patios makes them great candidates for landscape designs that feature a variety of different materials. Whether it contains a wooden deck, metal sculptures, water features, wood pavilions or a stacked stone fire pit, a brick patio will merge seamlessly into your landscape design.  Your Hinsdale, IL, home’s front entrance could be the most important element in determining your home’s curb appeal, which makes the design and installation of your front walkway take on paramount importance. Thankfully, you have a wide range of landscaping options for making your walkway not just a functional piece of your front entrance but a dynamic design element that adds to the aesthetics of your home. Related: 7 Landscape Design Ideas for Your Paver Driveway in Hinsdale IL Opt for Brick Style Pavers Classic brick pavers are hard to go wrong with, and with modern pavers, you can have the aesthetics of brick pavers with all the durability of concrete. Reputable paver manufacturers feature that classic small format brick in the classic clay color to mimic walkways and streets in old European cities. Modern pavers can mimic classic brick in terms of colors, as well as texture and imperfections, deriving their paver molds from actual bricks to give your walkway a truly authentic look. Fall in Love with the Look of Natural Stone The sheer beauty of natural stone is hard to beat, and a natural stone walkway can be a versatile design feature, working wonderfully in both modern and traditional landscapes. Popular choices for natural stone walkways include bluestone, flagstone, and limestone. You can choose concrete pavers that mimic the color and texture of natural stone perfectly while being more cost-effective, easy to repair, and more environmentally friendly. Be Adventurous with the Details Having chosen the right materials, with the right colors and textures for your landscaping, you can move on to choosing the right shape and dimensions for your walkway. The classic straight walkway works well in most settings, but you can also go with a curving walkway that meanders through your front yard, especially if your home has a more traditional landscape design. You can also be adventurous with the dimensions, letting your walkway open wider as it gets closer to the entrance, to bring in some additional depth. However, it is important to keep the overall design and scale of your landscape in consideration to make sure everything blends seamlessly together. Choose Accents and Borders Carefully One of the biggest advantages of modern concrete pavers is the wide range of colors and textures available, which makes them excellent for creating borders and accents. A well designed border helps to frame the walkway and can be created using both contrasting colors, textures, and laying patterns. Choose a border material that contrasts with your primary paver but matches some other design element of your front entrance to keep the overall look harmonious. Borders can be coupled with pathway lighting to keep your walkways safe and usable at night. Related: Landscaping Plant Care Tips for the Summer in Wheaton, IL Consider Bringing in Shrubs, Hedges, or Flower Beds Offsetting all the hardscaping with shrubs, hedges, and flowerbeds can help to soften the overall effect of masonry features. Straight, well-maintained hedges could be the most popular candidates, as they can serve as a natural border alongside walkways while also adding a vertical element to your landscape. Flower beds and shrubs can also be used to give your walkway a more natural border, which is more suited to more traditional and natural landscapes.  Your outdoor living space should be a comfortable haven to which you can escape regardless of the weather or time of day. Optimizing your outdoor entertainment in the face of the elements can be a daunting task—but the payoff will be well worth it. Here are a few landscaping tips to make your outdoor living space as functional as possible and to streamline your relaxation.
Read more here:  Undertaking any change can feel daunting at first. There is a lot to plan for and adjust to when you’re about to introduce landscape design changes to your Naperville, IL, property. Your current routine may be uprooted for a bit. If you are prepared ahead of time for what is needed and expected, then the transition to the wonderful changes ahead to your landscape will be seamless. Here are some steps to help you prepare for changes to your landscape design. What’s Involved with the Site Survey and Analysis You should expect that a complete site survey and analysis will be performed. This means that at a minimum, site visits by the landscaping company has been completed. They will assess the current design, the topography, soil, environment, and your lifestyle to ensure that as the process unfolds, the unexpected has already been carefully thought out. These proactive steps will keep you and the landscaping company you are working with on the same page and working together to determine the most efficient way to bring change to your property. There can be forethought into how to cause your family the least amount of interruption and downtime. At this point, you and the company performing the work have an opportunity to fully discuss the potential issues, what is most important to your needs, and ensure scheduling will occur with minimal, if any, setbacks. Related: Challenges in Landscape Design and How Our Team Can Help in Wheaton, IL Take Time With the Landscape Design Mock-Ups Using mock-ups and renderings will allow you to be able to see the phases unfold before the big build begins. This gives you ample opportunity to make the changes and adjustments you need on your end to avoid any detrimental lifestyle intrusions that could occur without this knowledge. Having a complete concept plan will also allow you to make sure spacing is adequate, the concept of the design fits together and the overall design plan works with existing architectural features and hardscapes. Selection of Materials, Features Whenever possible, it is ideal to focus on keeping your landscape as environmentally friendly as possible, whether that means prioritizing native plants that are destined to thrive with minimal water or considering how to reduce the amount of care your overall lawn needs if you bring in more hardscape features, such as an expanded patio. You want your new landscape design to thrive and adhere to the soil, surroundings, weather, and impact that it will be up against on a daily basis. This can be achieved by making sure your landscape contractor is knowledgeable about choosing proper placement of each plant, water feature, turf, and foliage that is going into your remodeled landscape. Related: The Benefits of 3D Design for Your Naperville, IL, Landscaping Scheduling and Timelines Scheduling is one of the most important things to consider when preparing for landscape design changes. Weather, your lifestyle, deliveries, and the experts you’ve hired will all affect the timing of your project. Keep in touch with your landscaper as the project unfolds so that you are in tune with why any delays may occur and what the remedies are. Experienced landscape contractors have gone through pretty much any conceivable challenge on their job sites and can provide realistic timelines for your project. Things happen, and skilled contractors will deal with them promptly, while keeping you in the loop at every step.  You might love to host family birthdays or barbeques, but perhaps the current state of your brick patio is preventing you from sending out any invites lately. The last thing you want is for your grandmother to stumble while hanging out in your Hinsdale, IL, landscape. The time to repair or replace those broken and missing bricks could be now. A Crumbling Patio If you worry when guests visit that the a missing brick could cause a twisted ankle or worse, then repairing the patio problems can help you not to stress over accidental injuries. Maybe even you forget to step around the broken pieces and stumble as you try to water your flowers. Eliminating potential accidents by replacing the missing or fractured bricks can ease your mind. Related: Bring a Traditional Look to Your Wheaton, IL, Backyard With a Brick Patio Standing Water on the Patio If your poorly installed patio has sunken places where the water collects from a rainstorm, this can bring about mold, which can make the bricks slippery and hazardous. At times the rain can run across the patio and wash out all of the landscaping that you have worked so hard to install. There is not much more discouraging than seeing your mulch and flowers strewn down the path that the water takes. Water that does not drain properly can cause the bricks in the patio to sink and when this happens, you can end up with potholes. Water that does not drain well from the brick patio can also cause damage to the foundation of your home. When the water has nowhere to go, it will just sit beside the foundation and seep into your crawl space or basement, potentially leading to mold and other costly damage. Frustrating Weeds in Your Brick Patio Any cracked or missing mortar leaves a place for weeds to grow in the patio bricks. Once this happens, the integrity of the rest of the bricks are threatened because weeds and vines are persistent and find their way into the smallest of cracks. It is certainly a frustrating process to try to battle the weeds that always seem to find their way into any opening between the bricks. Related: How to Choose Brick Pattern Designs for Your New Patio in Naperville, IL Patio That Is Not Level When the bricks settle and begin to slant, the entire structure of the patio can be threatened. Not only can this cause damage to your yard when the rain runs off, but the slanting of the bricks makes the patio virtually unusable. When the rest of your yard is well-groomed and lush, a non-functional patio can be an eyesore. What Happens When You Correct the Problems When you correct the problems with your patio bricks by replacing the broken ones or renovating the entire patio, you have the opportunity to correct any water problems that exist. Imagine no more gullies through the yard during a rainstorm, or no more standing puddles on the patio, or no more navigating your way around the patio to attend to your flowers. When you repair or replace problematic pavers in your patio with quality materials that are installed correctly, you won’t have to worry about repairs—you can simply enjoy your new patio.  Caring for your landscape can be tricky, especially if you have a variety of plants in different areas. Luckily, we’ve got great landscaping tips to keep your plants looking robust and bright during the hot summer months. Here are some of the ways you can keep your plants in tip-top shape in the Wheaton, IL, summer: Light Sunlight is an important part of every plant’s growth, so giving each plant the right amount is crucial to its development and health. Some plants need full sun, others partial sun, and some thrive in the shade. It’s important to know what each plant prefers, and keep plants with similar needs in the same area. Plants like lilacs and roses prefer full sun, and can be placed in direct sunlight. They need sunlight to keep their leaves dry, which prevents disease and helps them thrive. Other species, like hostas, can tolerate a good amount of shade if cared for properly. More delicate plants will burn in too much sun, and need the cover of shade. Related: Why Softscapes Are an Essential Part of Your Hinsdale, IL, Landscape Design Water The water needs of your landscape increase during the hot summer months. The sun and hot air dry out the soil, depleting water and nutrients from your planting area. Keeping track of how much water your landscape gets is critical to planting success. Some plants need more water than others, so knowing how much water each plant needs can make the difference between life and death. For plants that like a moist bed, be sure to apply a heavy layer of wood chip mulch, like cedar. The mulch keeps the water in the soil, prevents weeds, and if you choose cedar mulch, can even repel certain types of pests like ticks. If you notice your soil still drying out on a hot day, perhaps consider installing a sprinkler or irrigation system that will deliver water to your plants all day long. Pruning Gentle pruning can be a helpful tool for keeping your landscape looking healthy. While heavy pruning is done for most plants in the early spring or late fall, sometimes plants can benefit from a light pruning. Mowing the lawn is essentially pruning, and it prevents the grass from going to seed, keeping it lush and green. Plants like roses benefit from a light pruning, like deadheading expired blooms and wilted foliage. If a plant starts to get yellow leaves or dried out foliage, it may be a sign that the plant is under stress. Gently pruning away dead leaves or foliage will allow the plant to dedicate more resources to the thriving parts of the plant. This will make it grow bigger and better, and lead to a healthier plant. Related: 3 Gorgeous Masonry Ideas for Building Planter Boxes in Wheaton, IL Companion Planting Companion planting is the practice of growing plants next to each other that mutually benefit from their neighbor in one way or another. For example, growing a tall bushy plant next to one that needs some shade can keep it cool and provide a critical shield from the sun. If you have plants that need good drainage, a deep rooting plant like a small tree can be a great way to keep water from sitting on the top layers. Some plants even attract beneficial insects that can help to control harmful bugs. Ladybugs are one example of a beneficial insect as they can eat aphids and other insects that feast on your plants. Ladybugs love herbs and certain flowers like geraniums, so plant these where you want beneficial insects to protect vulnerable species. Benefits of Hiring a Fully Insured Landscaping Company to Service a Hinsdale, IL, Property6/30/2019  A fully insured landscaping company is prepared to deal with any issue that comes up, including the unexpected. The same can’t be said of a less professional contractor. When looking to make improvements to your Hinsdale, IL, property, you’ll want to know why it makes sense to hire a fully insured company so that you’ll end up with a beautifully maintained lawn that’s worry-free. |
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