Thinking of having a modern patio installed in your garden? Well look no further. In this short guide, we’ll discuss various ideas that you could take into consideration for constructing a modern garden patio.
Please note that while laying a new patio is usually fine to undertake DIY, you should only do so if you have the right skills and knowledge. It’s important to take certain safety steps. In addition, some garden patio ideas will be easier to pull off than others for most people. If in any doubt, you should hire a professional.
Modern garden patio design options
First, we’ll take a look at the various garden patio ideas in terms of design, before moving on to other topics such as patio furniture and patio lighting. The following ideas are inspired by the use of different materials such as pea gravel or stone.
Chequerboard design
To achieve this look, you can merge pea gravel with somewhat larger pavers. These elements combined in the right way can create an eye-catching chequerboard design. The pea gravel is pretty much the equivalent of grout as far as the design goes with the pavers being added on top of the gravel to create the desired effect.
Circular patio design
Pea gravel could also be used to establish a rounded patio. You may want to add water features or/and plant pots to this construction to give it a more visually appealing look. A circular pea gravel patio with patio slabs around it can create a winning contrast. Overall, you’ll create an eye-catching aesthetic with this design if you carry it out successfully.
Poured concrete patio
There are different ways of using concrete to create a good-looking, modern garden patio. That includes using concrete pavers along with additional materials. However, there are other ideas worth considering such as a poured concrete patio.
Concrete patios usually consist of blocks being laid down beside one another. However, you could pour concrete slabs into place as an alternative, which is the idea being discussed here. You might also be interested in acid washing to create an attractive finishing touch.
Ways of giving your poured concrete patio some extra flare include:
- Green ground cover being added (e.g. thyme or camomile) in the spaces between the patio slabs.
- Surrounding the patio with pea gravel or other small stones. This could ideally be done with stones of varying colours.
Irregular stone patio steps
Natural stone can create a fantastic look for any modern patio. Of course, many who wish to have natural stone steps installed as a patio will simply choose ones with a matching size. However, you could try to be a little fancier and choose V-shaped stones with a more curved end.
How exactly you go about this will depend on your preference, but once the stones are secure to walk on, the possibilities are near endless in terms of how you arrange the steps since irregular designs can come in many forms. If you get a little stuck, consider asking a professional gardener for some ideas.
Raised patio
If you’d prefer a raised patio, some ideas worth considering are a raised block patio, raised small step off patio or a raised island patio.
A raised block patio involves:
- Merge blocks/slabs (ideally those made of concrete) as a means of creating a large slab (i.e. the actual patio)
- You could give the edges a clean look or decorate it with things like ornaments, water features or/and even a suitably-sized hedge.
A raised small step off patio consists of:
- Add a small step at the edge of a large block patio for some extra value. The step should be placed by the middle third. Sort of similar to how a floppy disk looked (for those of you born before 1998).
Lastly, a raised island patio comprises:
- If your garden is suitable, you may want to consider installing small patio steps from the back garden journeying you down to a small patio island toward the far end of the garden.
- This design would involve plenty of room for creativity.
- You may want to have the steps travel directly to the island patio or even that the steps could wind around, either to make room for other garden features or/and for more aesthetic purposes.
Modern patio furniture, lighting and edging
Once you’ve decided on the actual design of your modern garden patio, you’ll want to think about additional elements such as garden furniture and lighting. Let’s discuss some ideas.
Furniture ideas:
- Outdoor modular sofa
- Multi-functional seating
- Fire pit or brazier
Lighting thoughts:
- Solar or Bluetooth-enabled lanterns or festoon lights
- Bamboo stakes for a visual effect
- Steps and walkways illuminated by LED strip lighting
Edging suggestions:
- Terracotta rope edging
- Salvaged railway sleepers
- Wooden log roll for curved borders
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