How to choose your outdoor pavers

Stone outdoor pavers are available in a diverse array of colours and textures. The choice of colour will have a large impact on how your outdoor space looks, feels and functions.

Choosing the right colour for your outdoor pavers can enhance the feeling of space. Paving helps unify the soft and hard landscapes. The colour of the stone can also be used to form a connection between the architecture and interior spaces.

There are several things to consider when choosing the colour of your outdoor pavers, including:

Monotone or multi-colour

Natural stone can come in a monotone palette with little tonal variation or multi-colour with a natural variation of colour hues adding greater movement and texture. Heron Bluestone, for example, provides a relatively consistent charcoal-grey colour palette. Lichen™ Split Stone, on the other hand, offers a striking variation in tones from coppers and browns to deep greys.

Consider how well the colour will wear over time, especially in high traffic areas. An outdoor paver with high tonal variation is more forgiving when it comes to stains or dirt built up. This is in comparison to pavers with no colour disparity.

Sunlight

One of the important considerations when it comes to paver colour is the effect of the sunlight. In large, open areas, light coloured pavers directly in the line of the afternoon sunlight may create an unpleasant glare. Likewise, a very dark paver in this space may get too hot to walk on.

In shaded areas consider whether a dark paver would feel too oppressive. Often a stone with light-dark tonal variation is more suitable for the space.

Texture

If you’re leaning towards a monotone colour paver but still after movement, consider a different format or surface finish to add greater texture. In the grey Fallow Granite pavers, for example, there are lots of natural flecks which add variation and movement without a great contrast.

Consider breaking up the surface with by combining two pavers of complementary tones or different formats to add interest and texture.  This has been achieved in the driveway above where Justin Humphrey Architects have used Endicott® cobblestones to add texture to the space.

Scale

When you look at a small sample of the stone it’s important to visualise how the colour will look on mass. A paver with tonal variation, even subtle, can be more effective laid in a large area such as a driveway or expansive patio space than a monotone paver.

Surroundings

When considering a paver colour, take into account the colours and materials of the surrounding space. Consider the colour palettes of the architecture, interior, and the hard and soft landscape. You don’t need to match up with the colour palette exactly. We encourage picking up a complementary tone to help create a more cohesive space.

Feature image: Torino™ Bluestone natural stone with pebble inset.