40 Unique Paver Designs for Outdoor Spaces

Take your outdoor space or patio to the next level — or multiple levels, if you're feeling feisty — with customizable, durable pavers.

By: Lauren Oster, Lori Johnston, and Erica Reitman

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Photo By: Statile & Todd Inc., design by Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates, Inc.

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Backyard Paver Ideas for Every Style

When planning your patio, there are many elements to consider: the landscape, climate, budget and how you and your family will use the space. But there’s one workhorse material that manages to find its way into almost every outdoor patio design project: pavers.

With the variety of patio paver materials, sizes, styles, colors and textures, they truly are one of the most versatile materials out there. Patios with pavers can likely work for your home no matter your style or budget.

Long, rectangular pavers like these — especially ones in small quantities that might be left over from a larger project — are just what the landscaper ordered for oddly shaped spaces that could use a bit of whimsy. Completed with contrasting infill, this casual look is perfect for a private nook. See the following photos for more backyard pavers ideas.

Also See: 50 Beautiful Backyard Landscaping Ideas

Charismatic Groundcover

This enchanting South Carolina home features both a formal, raised bluestone patio and a more casual space with irregular slabs of the same material. Wide spaces between those slabs provide ample room for textural ground cover like dwarf mondo, sedums and thyme; those diminutive plants flow gracefully into larger beds around the space’s perimeter.

From: Carolina Landscape

Concrete Collage

Viewed at a distance, this boldly geometric combination of concrete pavers, pea gravel beds, a graphic strip of lawn and mulched foliage functions like an outdoor art installation — and reads like an extension of the architecture beyond it.

From: CONTENT Architecture

Natural Stone Pathways

These massive slabs of gray natural stone that meander down wide steps, wind across a small patio and bridge, then conclude at the foot of a stone hearth beneath a pavilion demonstrate how well a single resource can lend itself to a variety of structures. The trees, plantings and koi pond here are so spectacular that look-at-me pavers would overwhelm the eye. Instead, these understated materials let visitors breeze past without watching their steps.

See More Photos: 40 Stunning Landscape Design Ideas

From: Surrounds Landscape Architecture + Construction

Mixing Old + New

Landscapers used weathered brick to trim paved concrete paths, create the foundation for a pergola and pick a delicate series of steps through the garden in this sun-dappled La Jolla, California, yard. Though the construction is new, the mottled hardscaping gives the space a sense of history.

See More Photos: 40 Ideas for Creating the Perfect Pathway in Your Yard

From: Torrey Pines Landscape Company

Diamonds in the Rough

Textural contrast creates gorgeous patterns in this Mediterranean-inspired space where natural lawn explodes around the edges of a stepping-stone grid, while smooth porcelain planks create a duo of designated lounge areas beneath the columned patio and in the sun.

From: Mom's Design Build

Playful Herringbone Path

A path through the yard at this grand coastal cottage takes a whimsical, Argyle-inspired turn when red bricks, laid in herringbone pattern, meet contrasting cement bricks arranged to form diamonds.

From: Mom's Design Build

Contemporary Curb Appeal

The wide concrete pavers that lead to this modern home echo its crisp right angles. The groundcover plants creating texture between them, in turn, add a bit of color and softness underfoot.

From: Kiesel Design

Tropical-Inspired Landscape

This atmospheric, tiki-hut-inspired outdoor dining room features hardscaping materials authentic to the tropical-style it evokes: the smooth patio spaces and the textural bridge connecting them feature oolite coral stone, a porous, permeable material composed of sedimentary stone and fossilized marine life.

See More Photos: 70 Wonderful Water Features for Any Budget

From: Craig Reynolds Landscape Architecture

Garden Art

The could-have-been-ho-hum slabs of concrete in this petite contemporary yard use pops of green, composed of elfin thyme, to take on the graphic impact of an abstract painting. The sharp angles created by the wide paver patio is counterbalanced by a riot of succulents, ornamental grasses and boldly colored flowers in the beds on either side. Learn more about gardening with groundcovers, below.

See More Photos: 18 Tough Groundcovers

From: Shades of Green Landscape Architecture

Artistic Assortment

The complementary-but-not-matching square pavers on this spacious outdoor living and dining room demonstrate that slight color variations in stone should be expected and celebrated. As with this patio, varying piles of stones or bricks should be mixed together to create a natural look, as trying to place pieces with similar tones beside one another can create an awkward, patchwork effect.

Cottage Charm

The irregular tufts of groundcover peeking out between flagstone pavers on this patio serve as a casually warm welcome to this secluded garden space, where perennials bloom between low, rounded bushes and a few delicate trees frame the scene.

Learn More: 30+ Cottage Garden Ideas We Love

Formal Yet Inviting

Landscape Studio created this Georgia backyard's bold border by laying two lines of brick straight on their sides in a double soldier course pattern. Both formal and welcoming, it's now both swanky-soirée-worthy and undeniably appealing as a play area for kids.

Off the Grid

Small, tumbled square pavers create a stylish transition between strait-laced concrete slabs and planting beds in this midcentury beauty’s front yard. Those same pavers create a textural path that carries past the front door and around the house.

Multi-Level Landscape

Intriguing angles and lush landscaping catch your eye at every corner in this modern, multi-level yard. Large pavers surround a small pond leading to an elevated terrace, while delightfully wild-looking ornamental grasses complement all those no-nonsense rectangular slabs.

From: Sage Design Studios

Southwestern Sandstone

This serene California patio features Arizona sandstone pavers that rise with two gentle steps to a tree-lined path with mountain views. This naturalistic installation lets colorful native plantings and the spectacular ridgetop vista take center stage.

Lakeside Lounging

Tiered terraces created with neutral, functional limestone pavers provide multiple spots for relaxing and enjoying waterfront views at this contemporary southern California home. Hints of roughness on vertical surfaces like the sides of the fire feature provide just a bit of texture to the party-ready space.

See More Photos: 55 Gorgeous Fire Pit Ideas and DIYs

From: Studio H Landscape Architecture

Back to Nature

The low fieldstone wall and pale flagstones used to create the understated patio encircling this cedar hot tub and the olive tree beside it add functionality without interrupting the spectacular landscape surrounding them.

From: Margie Grace

Intimate Idyll

Two types of pavers (and contrasting varieties of groundcover), placed to guide visitors to the seating area and water feature in this New York yard, create gentle contrast. Though they’re beside and visible to one another, each element of this design feels like its own moment.

Reel Around the Fountain

To create a suitable backdrop for the handsome brick fountain at the center of this Georgia patio, Landscape Studio deployed Pennsylvania bluestone laid in an Ashlar pattern. To create a rustic effect, they used multiple colors and three different sizes of pavers.

Now You See It ...

Now you don't. H. Keith Wagner Partnership's minimalistic bluestone walkway connecting a guest house and the main living area at this Burlington, Vermont, home disappears completely when it's bisected by a stone dust arrival court. Like the understated plantings surrounding it and the structures beyond it, this installation is all about knowing when to say "when."

Wooded Walkway

The stone pavers Southview Design installed to beckon guests to this cozy sylvan fire pit function a bit like the storied trail of bread crumbs Hansel and Gretel dropped in the forest (with witch-free results in this case, of course). Set wide apart at irregular distances, they provide just enough direction without detracting from their surroundings.

Gothic Drama

Pale custom pavers and painted brick create a neutral backdrop for this Reno, Nevada, courtyard’s showstopping “cocktail pool” with a limestone fireplace and bronze fountain scuppers. Traditional arches carry from topiary to the doorway at the top of an iron staircase; other courtyards, please try harder.

From: Christopher Architecture and Interiors

Diamonds Are a Pool's Best Friend

At the foot of this sleek outdoor pavilion, diagonal swaths of grass between angled stone pavers create the look of a verdant runner — and a trellis against the fence behind it repeats the pattern. Clever, no?

See More Photos: 40 Stunning Ways to Landscape Around a Swimming Pool

From: Matthew Murrey

Nature + Nurture

Natural stone steps lead to undulating levels of warm, multi-size pavers in this graceful space. Natural river rock frames a reflecting pond closest to the home, while boulders encircle a sunken fire pit toward the edge of the property.

From: Mickman Brothers

Mid-Mod Patio

Narrow concrete pavers with rounded edges create a graphic central pattern in this stylish space; the pea gravel between them carries out into Adirondack chairs surrounding a fire pit. That star material recurs in the dining area, where bright red chairs encircle a sculptural poured-concrete table.

See More Photos: 50 Patio Ideas and Design Tips

From: Darren Reynolds

Patina in Paradise

The lush patio surrounding this colorful Key West, Florida, home features iconic Old Chicago brick, or pavers reclaimed from buildings demolished in the Windy City. They owe their buff color to the firing process that altered the hue of their grayish-blue, glacially deposited clay, and they’re highly prized for the character their irregularities impart to outdoor spaces.

From: Craig Reynolds Landscape Architecture

Tropical Geometry

Consider how beautifully the clean, concentric circles in this wraparound sunken seating area and fire pit contrast with the irregular pavers and gravel leading to and surrounding them. Opposites attract, no?

From: Ryan Hughes Design Build

Textured Hardscaping

The varied hardscaping used to carve out functional spaces in this spacious Tucson, Arizona, yard — shell-inlaid concrete pavers surrounded by decomposed granite for the outdoor living room in the background, and a grid of etched-finish pavers with a pebble border in the foreground — is the outdoor equivalent of area rugs that would perform similar functions indoors. Tinted concrete makes up the walkway between them.

See More Photos: 40 Outdoor Structures That Bring the Indoors Out

From: Kathryn Prideaux

High-Contrast Design

Dark gravel creates a crisp frame around pale concrete pavers on this artistic, multi-level path. Beyond the midtone gray concrete that forms another outer border, shrubs, architectural agave plants and wispy ornamental grasses complete this yard’s clean, contemporary look.

From: J.R. Kramer

Knowing Your Angles

Wide, pale slabs of stone alternate with narrower dark pieces cut to the same width to create lengthier strips of paving, staggered here to create a dramatic diagonal effect. A contemporary arrangement like this one is perfect for creating planting and seating areas that feel integrated with one another.

From: Mom's Design Build

Setting the Stage

Belgard 'Urbana' pavers, in subtly differing patterns, create understated definition for gathering spaces on this spacious Minnesota patio. A rugged border of boulders separating the fire pit from the lawn, in turn, is composed of Fond du Lac limestone.

Creative Concrete Pavers

Because concrete pavers can be poured into any shape your heart desires, the sky’s the limit when it comes to what you can install beneath your feet. In this Florida home's front yard, artistic forms create visual interest without disrupting the neutral look of the home’s exterior architecture.

Stepping Out

Landscapers replaced the once-rigid approach to this stone-clad home with irregular, extra-large slabs that offer a bit of contrast. Mulched in pea gravel, the low-maintenance front garden features another casual stone path to gathering spaces in the back yard.

From: Spring Lake Garden Design Incorporated

Gather 'Round

An unfussy arrangement of concentric brick circles adds just a hint of manmade decoration to this idyllic Massachusetts patio without drawing attention away from the mature trees and ferns encircling it.

From: Mary LeBlanc Landscape Design

Luxurious Neutral

This contemporary poolside patio is the perfect partner for the pale, shingled home beyond it, thanks to subtly veined silver travertine pavers laid at the foot of its brick stairs. Don’t let its fresh look fool you: Travertine is one of the oldest paving materials in the world and has been prized by builders for thousands of years.

From: Maria Toczylowski

All-Weather Amenities

This architectural Pismo Beach, California, fire pit and patio demonstrate the beauty of enthusiastically hardscaped spaces. Unlike even the hardiest patio furniture, the Belgard pavers and antiqued concrete combined here will cheerfully withstand any and all inclement weather.

Something Old, Something New

Travertine, granite and brick come together in this grand formal garden to create graceful geometric patterns. The slabs in the foreground are arranged in a more contemporary style, while the reflecting pool at the center of the courtyard wouldn’t look out of place at an Old World family estate.

From: Cross River Design, Inc.

Party-Ready Patio

Minnesota's Southview Design created this tiered paver patio to make space for dining areas, a bar area and a fire pit. They emphasized the festive feel of the space by framing it with a modular block retaining wall and colorful accessories.

Rustic Frame

As Danna Cain of Atlanta's Home & Garden Design demonstrates with this charming, casual arrangement, stone pavers can be invaluable in integrating and centering backyard outbuildings like sheds and studios. This diminutive structure looks right at home in its corner of a larger outdoor space.

40 Unique Paver Designs for Outdoor Spaces

Related To:

Shop This Look

Backyard Paver Ideas for Every Style

Charismatic Groundcover

Concrete Collage

Natural Stone Pathways

Mixing Old + New

Diamonds in the Rough

Playful Herringbone Path

Contemporary Curb Appeal

Tropical-Inspired Landscape

Garden Art

Artistic Assortment

Cottage Charm

Formal Yet Inviting

Off the Grid

Multi-Level Landscape

Southwestern Sandstone

Lakeside Lounging

Back to Nature

Intimate Idyll

Reel Around the Fountain

Now You See It ...

Wooded Walkway

Gothic Drama

Diamonds Are a Pool's Best Friend

Nature + Nurture

Mid-Mod Patio

Patina in Paradise

Tropical Geometry

Textured Hardscaping

High-Contrast Design

Knowing Your Angles

Setting the Stage

Creative Concrete Pavers

Stepping Out

Gather 'Round

Luxurious Neutral

All-Weather Amenities

Something Old, Something New

Party-Ready Patio

Rustic Frame

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