Add some creative flair to your garden using levels, with a raised or sunken patio. David Domoney from ITV's Love Your Garden gives some tips.
10 July 2023
When it comes to choosing the perfect patio paving, it’s easy to jump straight to picking the right colour, tone, texture, and material. Of course, these are essential factors to consider, but they also depend on where your patio is situated. Especially if you’re looking to add some creative flair to your garden using levels, with a raised or sunken patio.
Room with a view
The ability of levels to transform a space should not be underestimated. Raised patios work to open up your space. They can be used to create a viewing platform for desirable landscapes. Plus, they do a great job of embracing gardens with steeper gradients, whilst giving you a level platform to dress with personality.
For raised patios, use bright, warm-toned paving, like Pavestone’s Dolomite Sunset. The bronze and caramel undertones soak up the sun, creating a light, bright space that naturally draws the beholder’s eye upward. This helps to create the impression of a larger, brighter outdoor space.
Café Jardin!
This neutral paving pairs perfectly with almost any furniture, so choose some you feel reflects your personality. If you’re looking for inspiration, an elegant bistro table for two is great for evoking a sense of being on the streets of Paris with a delicious cup of coffee. Pair this with some jewel-toned cushions for added comfort and style!
For even more of a personal touch, play around with container gardening. Placing pots around your patios adds versatility. It gives you the ability to switch up the look as the seasons change. For example, if you want a container that’s great for bees, combine Scabiosa, Lavender, and Salvias.
This will really get the buzz going around your patio! And if you’re after more of a fresh and formal look, plant Box Trees alongside Veronica, and Ajuga flowers. These particularly suit established properties and gardens. Container planting is a wonderful way to transform any patio.
Create a grand entrance
Of course, if your stunning patio is raised, you’re going to need some suitable steps to get you to and from your garden. Create a grand, palatial feel with wide steps, framed by two regal Bay Trees.
Achieve a seamless look by using the same paving for your steps or add a vogue contrast by adding risers in an alternative shade, like Dolomite Grey. This transforms the steps from a functional, to an established, stylish feature.
Bull-nosing steps are another excellent choice. They become a real focal point of the garden, with their smooth, cascading effect. The larger surface levels of the raisers provide ample opportunity to display your gorgeous potted plants. Just make sure they’re not a trip hazard!
Hidden hideaway
Alternatively, sunken patios are perfect for those looking to create intimate spaces. Ideal for cosy evenings, you can dissect your garden into unique spaces, for individual purposes. Think about when you’re likely to enjoy sitting in the garden, making sure your sunken patio catches the sun at the right time of day.
Cool paving like Pavestone’s Tegel Bianco, with raised terraces and sunken bars, will not only protect you from cooler breezes but also soak up the sun throughout the day, leaving you surrounded with a natural warmth as the sun slowly sets on balmy summer evenings.
This creates the perfect space to curl up with a book or recreate the groovy vibes of the classic 70s conversation pits, with friends.
Your own secret garden
And if you’re not so keen on digging up areas of your garden, don’t worry! With paving like Pavestone’s Dolomite Moon, you can create the illusion of a sunken space using low level walling, clad with Pavestone’s neutral, and inconspicuous, Slate Stack Cladding.
To add to this sense of cosy secrecy, blend your patio’s edges to the rest of the garden, by adding raised beds.
Fill them with the tantalising smells of fragrant herbs, like Lavender and Rosemary.
Surrounded by fragrances
And add ornamental grasses, like Stipa Ponytails, to add elegance and an air of relaxation as they dance in the breeze! This creates the perfect space for that ever-needed moment to yourself.
So, whether you’re looking to open up your garden space with a bright, raised patio, or create a cosy sunken retreat, Pavestone have brilliant options to help you enhance your space. Plus, Pavestone also offer bespoke cutting and profiling services, to ensure your patio, steps, and outdoor space are styled specifically to you.
Click on the pictures with the 'drone' image to fly through these beautiful gardens I've featured in this blog.
There are many more stunning videos of beautifully landscaped gardens using Pavestone landscaping and building materials featured on the Pavestone website for you to explore here.
David Domoney, TV gardener, horticultural expert and Pavestone brand ambassador blogs monthly on the Pavestone website on all things landscaping related. We look forward to seeing you back again next month.