Well-designed walkways guide visitors to your front door, to outdoor living spaces, and to special features within the landscape. Even more, they can become beautiful features to admire all on their own. Here are six ideas to create a stunning walkway in Newton, MA.
A Welcoming Statement
The path to your front door is the most important first impression. Ensure it’s a welcoming first impression. What says “welcome” to you? Do you want your guests to enjoy a subtly curved approach that lets them take in the landscaping as they approach the front door? Or, do you want all of your guests’ focus to be on the front door?
Follow the Flow
The best walkways are not only visually stunning, but perfectly functional. A walkway isn’t doing its job if people barely notice it or ignore it and opt for a shortcut instead—over your grass. Consider habitual foot traffic when planning your walkways as well as their purpose, to minimize the tendency of visitors to take a route you’d rather they not take.
This may make you decide to make the walk from the house to the outdoor kitchen as straightforward as possible. When you’re carrying heavy plates with food ready for the grill, you won’t appreciate a lovely saunter through the gardens. But “fast” doesn’t have to mean boring! Attention to materials and layout can make even a utilitarian walkway interesting.
Image Source - Unilock
Related: 5 Unique Walkway Landscaping Tips for Newton, MA, Front Yards
It’s About the Journey, Not the Destination
Give your guests a visual feast as they walk from the driveway to your outdoor living space. They’re not in a hurry; they’re here to enjoy, and part of that enjoyment is soaking in your beautiful landscaping.
Be a Good Guide
You never want to leave people guessing which way the path goes. As you contemplate the best design for your walkway project, consider that you will want to keep the path clear of overgrown shrubs or other obstacles. Strategically placed downlighting could give a romantic feel while lighting the way. Another consideration would be low walls or raised planters, to give the pathway a sense of enclosure. Pillars offer another way to define the space, by marking the end and beginning of the walkway.
Related: Add Character to Your Walkway with These Edging Ideas in Chestnut Hill, MA
Choose the Right Materials
The right materials tie together your home and various outdoor spaces, so don’t neglect the pathways between these spaces. Walkway materials don’t have to be the same as your outdoor living surfaces, but you probably want to choose colors in the same family. To give walkways their own personality, use different sized pavers than you do in your outdoor living spaces.
Also think beyond concrete. A paver walkway would bring in a modern aesthetic to your landscaping as well as more versatility and durability to a critical aspect of your yard.
Carefully Consider Shapes
Curved walkways can be visually more interesting than runway-straight walkways. However, each has its place, depending on the home’s architecture, the land, and the walkway’s function. Curves soften the hard lines of a house, give a nod to the topography and landscaping, and visually they instill a sense of calm as your eye wanders along its borders. On the other hand, straight lines provide a sense of purpose to the walkway, match the strong and clean lines of a modern home, and draw the eye to specific features.