Color, Texture and Style: The Many Ways Driveway Pavers Can Match a Nearby Retaining Wall in Camp Hill PA

Updating your driveway can add charming curb appeal. Here are our tips on incorporating color, texture, and format: the many ways driveway pavers can match a nearby retaining wall in Camp Hill, PA.

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A beautiful landscape with interesting features such as masonry retaining walls deserves something more than an asphalt driveway. A paver surface will balance and complement the design of your landscape. It will tie the hardscapes together to create a cohesive design worthy of a second look.

Here’s how to go about selecting driveway pavers that match a retaining wall.

Color

Achieving a perfect match in materials can be virtually impossible unless you are using manufactured stone (concrete pavers and wall units) from the same manufacturer. With natural stone walls, it will be virtually impossible to achieve a perfect match since there are so many variations in natural stone, even from the same quarry. 

Avoid the “close but not quite” accidental mismatch by making the driveway a couple of shades darker or lighter than the home and the retaining wall, depending on the look you want to achieve. You could use lighter pavers on the driveway to create a brighter, more cheerful approach to the home especially if your property is wooded. Or, you could use darker pavers on the driveway to give your home’s entry a historic “been there forever” look reminiscent of ancient cobblestone roads.

Once you’ve decided on how much lighter or darker you want to go, be sure to consider how the colors will change when wet. Moisture tends to darken and deepen colors. If you’re looking at sandstone-colored pavers, for example, make sure they don’t turn too orange when wet, especially if the nearby retaining wall has bluish tones (such as stacked fieldstone or limestone). Always bring home a few driveway paver samples and observe how they look not only separately but together in sun, shade, and wet conditions.

One final consideration for driveways is the parking situation. If you frequently park your cars outdoors, you may wish to consider darker pavers that can hide oil stains; or, invest in pavers with built-in stain protection.

Texture

Consider the style of your home and the look you want when deciding whether to use contrasting or complementary textures. 

You can achieve spectacular results by mixing textures. Similar textures tend to reinforce a design theme; but contrasting textures can bridge styles. A rugged stacked-flagstone retaining wall can be made more modern using smooth-textured driveway pavers. Or, it can contribute to a traditional and more formal look if you choose slightly textured granite-look or brick pavers. 

A relatively smooth concrete block wall could achieve an on-trend look if you use a combination of brushed-finish and smooth driveway pavers.

Avoid using too many different textures (many designers will advise you to stick to no more than three distinct textures). Driveway pavers with timeless appeal such as brick, flagstone, or granite cobbles are classic pavers that can look stunning next to any architectural style and any style of retaining wall, whether they contrast or complement it.

Style

Modern design trends tend to be eclectic rather than rigid. They often integrate elements from various styles. Rather than sticking with a particular look such as traditional, modern, rustic, etc. - consider an approach that works with shapes, where the driveway pavers and retaining walls mirror each other’s forms but not the materials. Curved walls look more natural beside curved driveways; and you can accentuate the look of a straight driveway with a straight wall. Beyond the shapes, you can give each element its own character by using complementary materials.

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