4 Landscape Design Tips for Drawing Attention Your Brick Patio in Naperville, IL

If you have a new brick patio or you’re planning to install one, you may be wondering how to showcase it using your landscaping. Here are 4 landscape design tips for drawing attention to your brick patio in Naperville, IL.

Brick is a timeless building material that comes in a variety of shapes, sizes, and colors. Mostly, when we think of brick, we picture the traditional bricks we see on walls and sidewalks; but brick pavers can also be square, large, and they do not have to be reddish.

Brick is a versatile material that will bring visual interest to your outdoor living space whether you use traditional clay bricks (which are more limited in choices) or concrete bricks, which are available in many more styles and colors since they are not tied to the colors of the clay used in the making of clay bricks.

1. Colors

The first decision to make is whether you want your landscaping to contrast or complement your patio. Whether you want it to be a dramatic focal point or whether you prefer that it blends in, you can draw attention to the patio with color.

A light-colored patio will stand out more in any landscape, but especially so in a wooded landscape or in a setting that doesn’t receive much sunlight. In bright, sunny areas, a light-colored patio will instantly grab your attention. A mid-toned patio won’t stand out as much as a light-colored patio, so here you could use interesting laying patterns and textures to make an interesting space. A dark-colored patio (such as granite- or limestone-inspired pavers) will blend in even more with the surroundings, but will also give your outdoor space an elegant look very much worthy of a second glance.

2. Textures

Nature is filled with textures so to make your patio stand out, you could create a contrast. That doesn’t mean the pavers have to be smooth, or that you should avoid texture altogether. Here are a couple of ideas. You could use smooth patio pavers to provide a contrast to a more textured seat wall that softens the transition between the smoothness of the pavers and the varied textures of the natural surroundings. Or, your patio could feature moderately textured brick pavers in a lighter color that will help it stand out. Or, you could embrace the natural visual texture of traditional brick pavers (which is due to their small size and the many joints between them) but use laying patterns to keep the eye engaged in the patio.

3. Vertical Elements

The eye is less interested in flat planes than dynamic spaces filled with a variety of horizontal and vertical elements. You could bring attention to your brick patio by surrounding your patio partially with a seat wall; adding a fire pit or outdoor fireplace; by cladding the walls of your outdoor kitchen in brick pavers; or by using brick pillars at the base of the wooden supports of a pergola.

4. Laying Patterns

You can create a stand-out patio with more structured patterns. If you’re using traditional bricks, then either herringbone, running bond, or basket weave patterns provide a sense of order. If you’re using larger square brick pavers, laying them end-to-end also provides an eye-catching contrast to the softer elements in the landscape, even in a formal landscape where plants are precisely located in symmetrical patterns.