Each year’s design trends can be influenced by a varied range of factors, but rarely are they all influenced by a single one. That’s all changed this year, of course - the emergence of the Covid-19 pandemic means that we’ve all spent more time than ever in our homes and gardens over the past ten months, so we’ve all needed to find new ways to enjoy them! That’s certainly clear to see in this year’s design trends, and how they’ve affected what people plan to do with their Indian sandstone paving. Here are five of our favourites!
A sophisticated contemporary aesthetic and the ‘indoors-outdoors’ trend
There’s an enduring enthusiasm amongst UK homeowners for a sophisticated contemporary aesthetic, which goes some way to explaining the continued popularity of our Kandla Grey Indian Sandstone here at Bridge Street Stone. It lends an exceptionally understated look to any environment, and it’s the ultimate complement for creating a smart, minimalist atmosphere in your garden for you to unwind.
The prevalence of grey in indoor spaces too also gives rise to what’s already been described as the ‘indoors-outdoors’ trend, which involves using a single shade of stone to create a seamless transition between interior spaces and outdoor environments.
This has the effect of blurring the boundaries between the two, making the garden feel more like a part of your house, and making your interiors more connected with the great outdoors. You can enhance this atmosphere with strategically placed greenery both indoors and outdoors, especially as the vibrant green colours contrast brilliantly with the colour of the stone.
Quirky paving designs become more widespread
As we’ve touched upon above, Indian sandstone remains one of the most popular options for UK homeowners, largely due to its hardwearing nature and timeless style. It also offers an impressive range of colours, which can be used to achieve a variety of effects - the light shade of Golden Leaf Indian Sandstone can be used to lift the mood of a space, while the dark tone of Kota Black can be used to create contrast for a particularly dramatic look.
In-laid lighting is an increasingly popular choice for these types of paving stones, involving soft solar-powered lights arranged on the outer edges of a patio or driveway. Not only does this add a nice touch of cosiness and visual interest, but from a more practical perspective, it also allows the space to be used after dark, which can be ideal if you’re planning on getting the very most out of your patio (more on that in a moment!).
And here’s an interesting one - while geometric patterns are one of the biggest trends in modern paving at the moment, there’s also a rising trend for asymmetrical paving. This pays homage to the Art Deco trend of the Roaring 20s. To achieve it, you’ll want to create sharp irregular angles in the design of your paving, before softening the edges with planting for some fine colour and texture - creating some highly distinctive results.
Built-in seating and dining areas
When the first lockdown hit in March of last year, we were just moving into Spring. With the prospect of going out to parks and public spaces severely limited - or banned altogether - UK homeowners quickly started finding ways to get the most out of their gardens spaces. That meant it became not just a place for gardening and sports practice, but also eating, socialising, and playing games with family too.
As millions of people found themselves using their gardens more than ever before, many of them loved the new experiences it brought them, and now there’s a firm trend for creating built-in seating and dining areas to relax and enjoy meals on a more permanent basis. On a related note, there’s also a noticeable spike in demand for pergolas with a canopy, or a summer house - providing some protection for more blustery weather, and allowing these outdoor activities to be enjoyed more frequently even when we move into the less scorching seasons of the year.
Zoned spaces
To build on what we’ve mentioned above, increasing numbers of homeowners are bucking established trends by choosing not one, but two colours for their paving slabs. By doing so, they’re aiming to divide their outdoor spaces into clearly-marked ‘zones’ - so for example one for parking, one for preparing food with barbecues and fire pits, and one for dining or relaxing. As you might expect, those with the biggest outdoor spaces tend to have the most freedom to achieve an effect like this, but it can be surprisingly easy even with smaller spaces, too!
Of course, these are just a few ideas to get you started - you may well have a lot more of your own! And if you’re looking for the best Indian sandstone to help you achieve one or more of these effects, you’re in exactly the right place. We’ve got a varied range of Indian sandstone paving to choose from here at Bridge Street Stone, so you’ve got no shortage of choice in terms of achieving your vision. All are sourced directly from India, and we’re able to offer free delivery to most areas. To make an order, feel free to give us a call today on 01282 860571.