As we ring in the new year, it’s the perfect time to be thinking about how to enhance your outdoor living space. Maybe you feel too cramped. Maybe the materials underfoot are outdated or crumbling. Maybe you just need a few creature comforts that will make you want to spend more time outside. Whatever the challenges, look to masonry for the solution. Here are 6 masonry ideas to contemplate for 2022: make your outdoor living space the best yet in Westhampton, Long Island, NY.
Why Masonry?
Masonry features provide the perfect mix of beauty and longevity. Stone is, after all, mankind’s oldest building material. Although you have more options today, such as concrete pavers and veneers, these materials still require installation by a skilled mason. Whether you choose natural stone or concrete alternatives, you can add a tremendous amount of practicality and style to your outdoor living space when you choose masonry.
The Ultimate Comfort: a Heated Patio
If you’re updating your patio, consider adding a snowmelt system under the paving stones. The heating coils will keep the stones or pavers above freezing, which will keep snow from piling up on your patio; you might even avoid shoveling altogether - and when you combine this wonderful feature with a fire pit, fire table, or outdoor fireplace, you’ll automatically create an outdoor space that’s welcoming in all but the worst weather.
A Cozy Fire Feature: the Best Investment in Patio Living
There’s no other feature that can turn a chilly day into a cozy outdoor gathering. When everyone else is huddled indoors, you could be sitting around the fire.
Fire pits, fire tables, and outdoor fireplaces are masonry fire feature options that can transform your outdoor living space into a four-season retreat.
The fire pit is a basic masonry structure designed to let people share equally in the warmth. Reminiscent of a campfire, a fire pit could be fueled by wood for an authentic crackling-fire-and-woodsmoke experience; or, you could choose natural gas or propane, which adds safety and the convenience of a flame controlled by a switch. A fire pit could be a central feature on the patio, or it could be located in a more remote part of your landscape where it will act as a destination worthy of a party.
A fire table is a somewhat taller version of a fire pit, with a generous cap stone that is large enough for regular dining (not just appetizers and drinks). What better way to combine a dramatic centerpiece with the delights of sharing a meal with family and friends?
An outdoor fireplace can give you the most options when it comes to customizing your fire feature. Add a wood-fired pizza oven to double the fun; a water feature to add a dramatic juxtaposition of fire and water; or, if your outdoor fireplace is situated along the wall of a pavilion, you could even add a TV so you can enjoy more indoor amenities in the fresh air.
Artistic fire features, such as a fire feature that defines the corners of a patio - or a masonry pillar topped with a fire bowl - aren’t designed to be gathering places, but rather accents that add ambient light and drama to your patio or pool area.
There’s no rule that says you can only have one fire feature. A popular combination is an outdoor fireplace in the lounge area along with a fire table situated closer to the outdoor kitchen in lieu of a traditional outdoor dining set.
Any fire feature could be a completely stand-alone focal point that uses different materials than other vertical features such as the outdoor kitchen, pillars, retaining walls, or water features. Or, it could blend in seamlessly.
Related: 3 MASONRY IDEAS FOR YOUR OUTDOOR FIREPLACE IN WESTHAMPTON, NY
An Outdoor Kitchen: Keeping the Party Outdoors
Now that you have the basic need for warmth taken care of, let’s move on to good food.
Whatever your cooking style, and whether you cook for just the two of you or you love to host large parties, the right outdoor kitchen can make all the difference between multiple frantic trips to the house and an easygoing cooking experience with everything you need conveniently located outdoors.
A masonry wall will integrate your outdoor kitchen into the patio space. It’s a permanent look that’s so much more stylish than a stand-alone grill. Besides, masonry is an opportunity to incorporate landscape lighting in a way that offers ambient lighting without visual clutter.
L-shaped kitchens offer the most flexibility in a compact package. The cooking “wall” could be situated along the outer perimeter of your patio, with a peninsula extending into the patio space to offer both a food prep surface and bar seating for guests.
Related: CONSIDER THESE MASONRY IDEAS TO INCLUDE IN YOUR NEW LANDSCAPE DESIGN IN GLEN COVE, LONG ISLAND, NY
A Well-Designed Patio: Letting Everyone Enjoy Being Outside In Their Own Way
We all appreciate the “zoned” effect of our homes, where various activities are contained within specifically designed spaces. This way, everyone can enjoy the activity they want without being disturbed by louder or more vigorous activities. You can take the same approach outdoors. For example, your outdoor kitchen and dining space are often the hub of all the action. Place them centrally, in the main flow of traffic.
The outlying areas of the patio could house mellower activities such as a fireside lounge area where you can relax with friends, or a game area.
You could take advantage of a larger backyard to create several small interconnected patios surrounded by beautiful native vegetation - a much more interesting and practical solution than a single large rectangular patio.
It’s practical because there will be less lawn to care for, which means you can spend more time enjoying your backyard than working on it. This creates an interesting look because each of these mini-patios could use different natural stones or pavers. Like individual rooms in your house, each could have its own style and personality.
This approach also gives you the opportunity to play around with elevation changes. Putting certain living spaces one or two steps higher than others creates a visually dynamic space - even on a flat property. This style is more common on sloped properties, but it can be done on flat backyards as well.
Imagine a seating area elevated one or two steps above the outdoor kitchen/dining space. The seating area will enjoy a commanding view of the backyard and the outdoor kitchen will feel cozy and intimate.
Beautiful Paving Materials: a Feast for the Eyes (and the Feet)
Both natural stone and concrete pavers can be used to create exceptional spaces rich in character. Natural stone is renowned for its individual character - no two stones are ever alike - while concrete pavers give you far more design flexibility since there are so many choices in colors, shapes, styles, finishes and textures.
And again, you don’t have to be stuck with just one material. Even if you have one single patio rather than a series of interconnected spaces, you can use borders and inlays made with different materials (yes, you can mix and match natural stone and pavers) to add interest and define spaces.
Related: 12 MASONRY IDEAS TO INCLUDE IN YOUR NEW LANDSCAPE DESIGN IN GLEN COVE, LONG ISLAND, NY
Beautiful Walls and Other Vertical Elements: Unexpected Accents
A retaining wall could be one of those “I wish I’d done it sooner” projects. It may be a necessary feature on a sloped yard where you want to prevent erosion; but it can also be a great addition to a perfectly flat property, adding dimension and even overflow seating for large gatherings.
Like the patio surface, retaining walls and other vertical masonry features including planters, pillars, fire features, and water features could be integrated seamlessly into the patio or they could be dramatic focal points.
When designing any vertical element, consider using a somewhat different color texture than what’s underfoot; but in general, avoid using more than three colors and textures throughout your outdoor living space to avoid it becoming too visually busy. For example, a stacked-flagstone wall could look stunning next to a very slightly textured flagstone patio; or next to a smooth granite patio. However, combination of a rustic and highly textured wall and a highly textured patio - even if it’s a different color - could be too rustic for most settings.
On the other hand, completely smooth textures are more easily paired as long as the materials/colors are different (otherwise, the effect could be very much like being in a cardboard box).
A Water Feature: Your Choice of Serenity or Drama
The presence of a water feature in your landscape design will set the mood. Water features can be any size from a tiny corner fountain to a majestic waterfall. They can be completely customized to suit your design style such as a sleek linear reflecting pool to a Roman-style fountain to a naturalistic boulder-lined waterfall; and the intensity of the water is infinitely customizable as well.
A glassy flow of water coming out of a sheer-descent waterfall set into a retaining wall can bring elegance to your patio, with a dramatic look yet a much quieter atmosphere than a naturalistic waterfall. A fountain could be little more than a gentle bubbler in a corner of your backyard devoted to meditation, so there’s no reason to not add a water feature to your outdoor living space.
Related: USING MASONRY TO CREATE A BEAUTIFUL WATER FEATURE FOR YOUR SMITHTOWN, NY, HOME
Walkways: So Much More Than Getting From Here to There
A walkway, like a retaining wall, is often seen as purely utilitarian and as such, it may not get the same level of thought as the patio when it comes to artistic design. However, a walkway is also an opportunity for creative expression.
A curvaceous brick walkway can add a romantic touch to an otherwise stark modern landscape. A charming stepping stone path can be a way to soften the journey to a destination spot (such as a fire pit located in a far corner of the property). A runway-straight walkway made with grey limestone or limestone-inspired pavers could be just the thing to add a sophisticated and formal touch to an otherwise easygoing space.