I signed a contract today to build my patio. I need to make color choices fairly quickly. I have visited 2 contractor supply places and seen some samples, but of course the colors I am most interested in were not in stock. I would love some input from the board.
My house is a small bungalow (not a craftsman) with sage-green siding. Most people think it's grey, but it's not. This picture was taken in full morning sun, I'm not sure it shows it off well.
This is the plan for the patio, which will go along the long side of my house (side yard - I'm on a corner lot without a back yard).
All pavers will be Unilock. I can order any color I like, although "special order" colors may increase lead time (under the color samples, look for a link to expand the special order colors). I'm OK with that for the right colors. I prefer grey tones.
The "field" will be Beacon Hill Smooth: commercial.unilock.com/products/a-z-products/all/beacon-hill-smooth/?region=5 I think I want to go with Opal or Opal Blend (not sure what the difference is). I like Fossil as well. It's very neutral in person - I don't think the example on the Unilock site does it justice. Steel Mountain is also a contender, but I'm not entirely feeling it. I'm told Steel Mountain is a very popular option. I'm almost wondering if that will make it look dated in 5-10 years. Opal feels like the most timeless option to me.
The seating wall and fire pit surround will be Lineo: commercial.unilock.com/products/a-z-products/all/lineo-dimensional-stone/?region=5 I like Granite and Mahogany Ash the best. Limestone seems blah. I love Midnight Charcoal, but I'm afraid going this close to black and white will look too modern next to my 100 year old bungalow.
I feel like Opal/Granite/Dark Charcoal might be a nice monochrome. I kind of like that Mahogany Ash could bring in some warm tones. I will have to stain the pergola in the fall (so the pressure treated pine has time to dry out) - so I could do a tone that complements the Mahogany Ash. I'm curious what other people would do. I'm definitely open to options I haven't considered.
Bonus question.... I think I'm going to order this modular sectional to go in front of the fire pit: www.ohanawickerfurniture.com/pn7037.html Dark brown wicker. I'm not sure what color for the cushions. I'm considering the following (all Sunbrella): Sunflower Yellow (too bright?)
Mineral Blue (might clash with siding) Macaw (too bright?) Navy (safe option) Jockey Red (unsure if this is bright red or dark red)
I feel like Macaw or Sunflower Yellow I could tone down with some darker throw pillows. I really like the Mineral Blue, but I'm definitely concerned about how it will look against my sage green siding. I don't have this concern with any of the other colors.
One last note... While pictures of Unilock projects abound, almost none of them tell you what colors they use! It's incredibly frustrating. I did find one example of a Beacon Hill Opal patio with a Midnight Charcoal border that was lovely... which is helping to push me towards those colors.
Our house color is also sage green with gray undertones in really bright lights. Our pavers are not Unilock, but these are the colors we chose. The main parts are a gray base with slight bronze tones in it. I much prefer that look to an all gray look because it feels more natural. We did a dark charcoal gray border around it to really shore up the "gray" instead of "brown" though.
I think Fossil is my favorite of your options. Steel Mountain being second.
I’m not entirely digging the monochromatic black and grey look myself for pavers. I am worried that it will age poorly to be honest and will look very specifically of this time.
Of the options available, I like Fossil best, then Steel Mountain. I prefer my stones to have more of a taupe included.
They really need to get you some samples. I’m doing mahogany ash for my patio and the sample looks significantly different than the photo. It makes me wonder if the other colors also differ significantly.
eta: it’s grayer, looks more aged than the pics I saw.
They really need to get you some samples. I’m doing mahogany ash for my patio and the sample looks significantly different than the photo. It makes me wonder if the other colors also differ significantly.
eta: it’s grayer, looks more aged than the pics I saw.
I think the same color names get reused between different paver styles, but they aren't always the same. I some of this when I was at the contractor supply places over the weekend. New York Blend was an example I saw vary wildly - in one type of paver it looked blue and burgundy, but in a different style it was more of a warm, muddy brown.
I will ask again about getting samples... my contractor wanted me to see the variations within a color, but that isn't helpful when I can't find the colors I'm interested in.
I also like the fossil one better. While I like Opal in pictures, I think it might look really bright white when actually installed and in sun, and I don't think that would be the best with your already-light-colored house.
Our house color is also sage green with gray undertones in really bright lights. Our pavers are not Unilock, but these are the colors we chose. The main parts are a gray base with slight bronze tones in it. I much prefer that look to an all gray look because it feels more natural. We did a dark charcoal gray border around it to really shore up the "gray" instead of "brown" though. View Attachment View Attachment
I think Fossil is my favorite of your options. Steel Mountain being second.
I've been looking at pavers in the neighborhood a lot lately. Especially after someone else posted about thinking their was too much orange in one they were looking at. At this point, I feel like what you posted is a really nice choice because it bridges warm and cool tones together nicely and gives a lot of options when it comes to coordinating other features (paint, accents, etc)
Post by ellipses84 on Apr 27, 2021 13:28:11 GMT -5
It’s really hard to tell from the photos, so I think you need to order real samples and lay them out in natural light (take photos of the groupings you like and post here if you want). If you can’t go to a showroom right now, the rep or contractor should be able to bring or overnight mail them to you.
I definitely have a more modern aesthetic and think I know what look you are going for. I love the idea of a lighter / natural looking pine pergola with your sage walls and that’s how you can bring warmth in if you want a cooler tile.
I personally don’t care for steel mountain as it looks a lot like slate which I think can seem dated. I like opal blend with granite for the wall and I’d choose charcoal for the edging but kind of worry it’s too dark compared to the other 2. Fossil is a good inbetween for the patio if you aren’t sure if you want more gray or brown.
For the seating, I think you need a bright pop of color. Navy is the safe option and would look great if you want to bring your bright color accents with pillows / accessories which you could change out easier. I think the mineral blue is light enough to work with the sage but still good and bright (the turquoise would clash and I really don’t care for the bright green with the sage). I think the red could work too, but then I’d add in some blue accents - too much red/green will look christmas-y.
For the seating, I think you need a bright pop of color. Navy is the safe option and would look great if you want to bring your bright color accents with pillows / accessories which you could change out easier. I think the mineral blue is light enough to work with the sage but still good and bright (the turquoise would clash and I really don’t care for the green I’m with the sage). I think the red could work too, but then I’d add in some blue accents - too much red/green will look christmas-y.
Thank you for addressing seating! I've been debating this all day. I think it's between Sunflower Yellow and Mineral Blue for me. I was originally hoping to go in a rust or terracotta direction for seating, but I haven't found that as an option for anything I like... I think I have a bra that's roughly mineral blue, so I'm going to see how that looks with my siding after work. I like how bright and cheery the yellow is, but it also feels like a big commitment to yellow. I'd really like the pavers to be fairly neutral and color will come from seating/decor/landscape.
Post by ellipses84 on Apr 27, 2021 13:45:34 GMT -5
The yellow seating would work too! Then I’d keep the stone a neutral gray and make the pergola a darker brown since you’d get a lot of warmth from the furniture.
The patio is finally finished, so I wanted to provide an update. PDQ pictures, I will DD them later.
Before
(poof)
Work started the week before Memorial Day. My contractor thought he would be completing the job (minus the pergola) in one go, but the material for the verticals ended up backordered. So this is what I had for most of the summer (before the good furniture showed up) (poof)
Finished! The pergola went in 2 weeks ago and last week they built the seating wall and fire pit. I am still waiting for the plumber to come back to install the burner - I'm hoping he gets out here this week. (poof)
I couldn't be happier with the results. The contractor I hired took pride in his work. Everything seems to be constructed really well. I am dying to get the fire pit up and running - it will be very nice for cool fall evenings.
I plan to stain the pergola in the spring - probably espresso. I'm thinking about trying to grow wisteria over it.
Lovely!! What a difference! I love the sunny yellow cushions, so fun
Definitely do research on wisteria - we tried growing it on a pergola and it became a nightmare to control. I believe there are less aggressive varieties, but you might be better off avoiding it. I just planted a jasmine plant that's cold hardy to zone 7 - so far it's lovely, and I'm excited about it! Clematis does well here too, mine always has a fair amount of die back and looks unattractive by September.
I think planter boxes near the house would be nice too! I think YHL did some cool ones recently.
Lovely!! What a difference! I love the sunny yellow cushions, so fun
Definitely do research on wisteria - we tried growing it on a pergola and it became a nightmare to control. I believe there are less aggressive varieties, but you might be better off avoiding it. I just planted a jasmine plant that's cold hardy to zone 7 - so far it's lovely, and I'm excited about it! Clematis does well here too, mine always has a fair amount of die back and looks unattractive by September.
I think planter boxes near the house would be nice too! I think YHL did some cool ones recently.
Thanks for the advice - I definitely need to do some research before committing to growing anything. I am not the best at plant care and maintenance, which is a concern. Planter boxes near the house are a good idea for next season.
I need to move the gigantic deck box I bought from my porch to the patio now that it's finished...
Post by maudefindlay on Sept 8, 2021 7:56:07 GMT -5
Looks great and love the pop of yellow, it looks so good with the grey of your stone. Some green plants will definitely add to the whole effect. Enjoy it!
Ditto the jasmine rec. We have some confederate jasmine (there might be a better name for it) and it grows along a trellis quickly and easily and it smells SO good.