A garden patio is more than a paved area in the backyard. It serves as a place to relax, a play area for the children or an entertainment area where you can have a barbecue on warm days. When designing, you can improve your garden patio with suitable flooring. That's why we're going to give you some tips and ideas today. Get inspired by the fascinating examples below!
Terrace floors can be made of wood, concrete, tiles or natural stone slabs.Suitable decking boardshave the advantage that they do not heat up in the sun, which is very important for those who spend a lot of time outdoors, especially at lunchtime, and want to walk barefoot there. The wood also appears visually gentler than stone and is often preferred due to its warm appearance.
Stone and tile floors are extremely durable and are available in a variety of patterns and colors. This allows you to design the terrace floor in different ways and even give it attractive focal points. An interesting design idea would be to mix stone slabs of different colors or fill an unpaved area with gravel or lawn. There are also a few things to consider when choosing natural stone, as there are types of stone that are more or less suitable for outdoor use. You can get some information about the different typeshere.
Lay the patio tiles side by side in patterns rather than edge to edge. You can also use them individually as stepping stones in the lawn. Try out different patterns to create an individual floor design! You can match the color to other elements such as walls or even furniture, creating a harmonious interplay of colors.
No matter which patio surface you choose, you should find out how to prepare the surface. Inadequate preparation could cause the patio tiles to sink or shift and even crack or break over time. Consider the local conditions, the thickness of the planks or panels to be laid and your plans. The best thing to do is to hire a tiler or at least get advice from one.
The terrace floor looks very attractive if it is designed with high contrast. If the house facade, the furniture or the adjacent walls have a darker shade, the floor can be designed in a lighter color and vice versa. In this way, all elements of the outdoor area can be showcased and appear equally attractive.
Depending on the type, stone tiles impress with their beautiful patterns. These also make the seating area look more lively. Since each tile is uniquely patterned, no two are the same and the entire flooring ends up looking versatile and attractive. Use colors like cream, beige, brown or red for Mediterranean exterior designs. White and gray look very attractive on modern and minimalist garden terraces.
Both wooden and stone floor coverings can be equipped with indirect lighting, which works best on steps or if the terrace in the garden is raised, for example in the form of a platform. In addition to providing subtle yet sufficient lighting, this also highlights your seating area beautifully.
This example also proves that the terrace covering does not necessarily have to cover an entire area to be attractive. You can use small tiles to create larger rectangles, between which you leave larger joints that you fill with lawn or ground cover. This way the seating area will appear more natural and it will seem as if nature is slowly taking over your garden area. Feel free to use flowering ground cover plants to add bright colors to your patio area at certain times of the year.
Alternatively, gravel is also suitable for filling the joints. You decide for yourself how wide the joints should be. A special fleece or similar materials is preferred as a substrate, as these prevent weeds from growing in joints. You can find out about suitable substrate materials at the hardware store. It is important that there is good water drainage when it rains so that the water does not suddenly build up on the garden terrace. Fleece can also be used in the variant with ground cover, as it is also used for stone beds.
No matter which covering you choose, whether wood, stone or concrete, you can also equip the seating or dining area with an outdoor rug, which makes the outdoor area look more homely and cozy. It's best to choose a color that matches the other textiles, such as tablecloths or seat cushions, and you're guaranteed a pleasant time outdoors!
The lighting does not necessarily have to be at the bottom. If you have designed raised beds with such supporting walls and framed the seating area, these can also be used to install lamps and illuminate the floor covering from above. You can also combine the lights as desired with plug-in lamps for the beds, which you can use to highlight the plants in the dark.
You can create an original design with elongated patio tiles by laying them in opposite directions. For example, the seating area can be designed horizontally, while another adjacent area can have the panels vertical. Then a modern eye-catcher is created, like in the example above. You can even emphasize the play of vertical and horizontal lines with a modern pergola and its wooden slats.
