The pandemic forced everyone to stay at home and stay safe. With our world suddenly smaller, gardens and outdoor space became all the more important. Smart home owners have long considered their gardens to be an extension of their living space, but the past year has seen this trend grow and impact on modern garden design too. When you plan a new kitchen or living room you design the space to suit your needs, paying attention to colours, textures and materials. So, why not take the same approach to garden design?
In this article we’re looking at modern garden design ideas, in particular a series of stylish patio designs that will extend your living space and bring a designer feel to your garden.
Porcelain paving – well-suited to modern gardens
Before we share the designs, it is worth briefly covering paving types. If you’ve already begun looking at ideas for contemporary gardens you will know that porcelain is one of the most popular options for modern spaces. Not only is it extremely durable and low maintenance but it can be manufactured in a wide range of finishes and designs, meaning there are more options for the stylish homeowner to choose from. All the patio ideas in this article feature porcelain paving. So let’s take a look at our modern porcelain patio design ideas…
An industrial garden design with contrasting mosaic edging
If your home décor features industrial design elements then why not bring this style to the outdoors too? The dark porcelain paving replicates aged, weathered and distressed metals and bold homeowners could look to team it with a mosaic style garden tile that offers a softer pattern in lighter shades. A vibrant planting scheme is recommended with an industrial garden design like this, colourful plants work particularly well with the patterned porcelain paving and they stop the whole design from looking too harsh.
If you’re designing this for a small garden, consider adding a structure such as a small pergola to frame the space and make it feel larger. It will also be a great focal point and give you an opportunity to grow climbing plants.
The industrial patio design features SYMPHONY Elements Corten Range in Cobalt and SYMPHONY Matte in Deco
A contemporary garden design featuring an on-trend colour scheme and metallic finish paving
At the start of this article we highlighted the need to consider your garden design in the same level of detail as you would your home interior. This particular design is ideal for people aiming for a truly contemporary and stand-out home and garden, the porcelain paving stepping stones offer a metallic finish, and change shade subtly throughout the day as the light moves through the space.
The design also includes a botanical mosaic garden tile in modern, on-trend shades. If you like this bold patio style we would recommend using it with porcelain plank paving, a lower maintenance alternative to decking. This design also uses gravel between the paving slabs which gives permeability in what would otherwise be a non-permeable area, and lowers the evaporation rate from the flower beds. An extra plus of using gravel around planting is that slugs and snails don’t like it – which keeps your plants bite free!
The metallic finish patio paving featured is SYMPHONY Elements Metallic in Teal, with a SYMPHONY Matte, Botanic border and SYMPHONY Planks in Corrado
A modern grey patio with an industrial style
As with interior paint, grey is a popular colour choice for patio paving, it looks great against most styles of brickwork and finishes, and it works particularly well when grey flooring is used inside too. This stylish patio design is another industrial inspired one, with paving that features slight tonal variation and a subtle blend of different colours to give an aged metal appearance. We’ve chosen to show formal hedging with this garden design, as a great sidekick to less formal planting. Together they create the impression of a well-cared for garden, without too much maintenance. Another garden design feature worth noting here is the use of wood effect paving as a patio border, ideal for transitioning between different styles of paving such as in a front garden where you might have driveway blocks and a patio side by side.
This modern grey patio design uses SYMPHONY Elements in Iron with SYMPHONY Planks in Corrado as the border
A truly unique patio design for ultra-modern gardens
If the ‘less is more’ mantra doesn’t ring true for your home style, then this could be the ideal contemporary patio design for you. This modern design uses several garden paving types together, with a range of iridescent colour and deep tones in the centre and a flat beige tone porcelain outside the design to give contrast. This could work well as a patio focal point, for garden seating or a hot tub area.
This unique patio design features SYMPHONY Elements, Bronze and Cobalt with a SYMPHONY Classic surround, in Barley
Please note, the above designs have been created as a guide only and should not be relied on for colour accuracy. We would always recommend viewing a virtual or physical sample before placing an order.
Photos of modern garden designs using contemporary porcelain paving
If the above modern designs have inspired you, here are some more images that show how you can use paving with stylish patterns and finishes to create a space unique to you. All images link to the main paving featured, so if you spot something you love click through to look at the choices and calculate a price.
A modern industrial style garden seating area, featuring dark patio paving and grey walling
A corten inspired copper finish patio with bench style seating and patterned outdoor cushions
A feature floor using patterned porcelain, underneath an outdoor dining table
Modern garden designs using patterned paving as a step riser
