How a Thoughtful Landscape Design Featuring Patio Pavers and an Adjoining Retaining Wall Can Create a Picturesque Harrisburg, PA, Backyard

Your next landscape improvement could be the transformation that makes you want to spend more time outdoors. The combination of a patio and retaining wall can be the ideal combination for creating an inviting outdoor space you’ll love to relax and entertain in. Here’s how a thoughtful landscape design featuring patio pavers and an adjoining retaining wall can create a picturesque Harrisburg, PA backyard.

Related: 5 Reasons Why Your Landscape Might Need a Retaining Wall in Harrisburg and Hummelstown, PA

Colors

Masonry materials fall into two main categories: cool grays, warm earthy browns. There are also neutrals that work with either category.  

The key is not to use too many colors. In fact, generally using more than two or three colors in masonry design will make the feature look too busy and dated. 

When in doubt, err on the side of simplicity and elegance and limit color choices. One way to do this is to choose one color for the patio pavers and one complementary color for the wall and tie the two elements together with a shared accent such as brick.

There are many incredible color combinations to be made with masonry. When you build a color arrangement that is offset by only one shade of color, it will create a dimensional visual interest. The slight separation between color will play with light at various times of day.

Textures

Texture is both visual and tactile, and you can take advantage of both to create a harmonious space.

The lines in between the individual pavers or wall blocks are essential to creating visual texture. Brick, for example, is relatively smooth to the touch, but using a lighter-colored jointing compound will make the feature more textural. 

Much like color combinations, adding too many textural elements can make the space too busy. Again, stick to two textures for a cleaner look such as smooth large format pavers combined with a stacked-flagstone-look retaining wall. In this case, let the textures do the talking and avoid adding the element of extra color with borders or accents.  

A great physical texture combination to use together is smooth patio pavers with a similarly smooth retaining wall surface for a clean, uncluttered look with design continuity; and here, since the textures are the same, you could add a contrasting border or accent for visual interest; and be sure to use complementary colors on the horizontal and vertical surfaces to prevent them from looking exactly the same, which can create an unsettling optical illusion. 

Patterns and Sizes

In keeping with the “complementary” versus “same” theme, use different laying patterns on the patio and wall. The wall will most likely be a running bond pattern. If you want to use this pattern on the patio, use different sizes of individual units (pavers) and consider a 45- or 90-degree orientation to prevent the patio from morphing into the wall, again creating an unsettling optical illusion.

A combination of different sizes in masonry materials will help create a much more interesting landscape. For instance, use smaller wall units to call attention to the details of your retaining wall. Meanwhile, use large format pavers to help expand the feel of the space and help draw the eye down its sight lines. 

Complementary Themes

It’s always important in landscape design to avoid combining the same textures, colors, sizes, and laying patterns across horizontal and vertical features. It makes the space feel unnatural and unnerving. Instead, let each landscape masonry feature have its own presence while integrating harmoniously into the space.

Related: 6 Landscape Design Ideas for Bringing Attention to Your Patio Pavers in Harrisburg, PA