Most people would agree that despite the old saying, things are not necessarily the same all over. Whether we’re talking about clothes, food or interior design, what’s popular in New York isn’t always as popular in the Colorado or Florida. The same is true for hardscapes. As the leading manufacturer of pavers and landscape wall products, Belgard knows this better than any other hardscapes brand. Looking at our regional sales over the last three years, we can offer insights on which styles and colors are rising in popularity in different areas of the country and which styles are currently less en vogue.
Trending Paver Styles
When looking at which styles of pavers are trending, we looked at regional preferences in face textures, pavers shapes and color families. Nationally, the trends lean towards smooth-faced pavers in large-format square or rectangular shapes in “greige” color families (mixture of grays and tans). However, regional preferences vary regarding these various style attributes.
Paver Face Trends
We examined preferences regarding paver face texture and divided the concrete pavers into three different categories: smooth, natural stone and antiqued (or tumbled). Belgard porcelain pavers are available in a various interpretations of stone and wood grains, but they have a very different look than concrete and so were placed in their own “face” category. Introduced in 2015, interest in Belgard porcelain pavers continues to rise nationally, but they are most popular in the Northeast and Central regions. Nationally, smooth-faced pavers are the hottest trend but are most popular in the Southeast and West. Natural stone textures and antiqued pavers are still popular in those regions, too, but are not the prevailing trend.
Paver Shape Trends
Nationally, the hottest trending paver shapes are larger format pavers in modular patterns. Regionally, we see some variations on those trends. Rectangular and plank style pavers are gaining ground — a trend that is likely to continue to grow — but modular shapes are still the prevailing trend in the Northeast and Southeast. Traditional brick and cobble pavers are still popular in most of the country, and there will likely always be those who prefer that classic, timeless look; however, this style is losing a bit of favor in the Central region. Irregular shapes were extremely popular just a few years ago, but that trend has declined a bit over the last couple of years.
Paver Color Trends
Gray color tones are definitely sweeping the nation as the most popular trend in hardscapes, especially when combined with tans to produce blended tones that pair well with both cool and warm color families. Black and dark charcoal are trending as hot accent colors, particularly in Northeast and Southeast. Reds are definitely losing favor across the board, but browns and tans are still popular in certain areas, particularly the Southeast and West. Gold tones are comparatively new to paver design and are rising in popularity in most regions. Another interesting trend is a spillover from the monochromatic white and light cream schemes of the interior design world. A popular outdoor living trend is to create designs that flow from the interior to the exterior of the home, a movement that has created an increase in the popularity of white and light cream pavers. This look is particularly easy to achieve with porcelain pavers, which are stain resistance (important for maintaining that crisp white look) and can mimic the look of interior flooring.
Trending Landscape Wall Styles
We divided wall styles into two categories: face texture and wall pattern. Nationally, the prevailing trends center on walls that are constructed using a contemporary modular pattern in color tones that complement the paver field. However, face texture preferences, in particular, vary widely by region.
Landscape Wall Face Trends
For many years, the prevailing trend in landscape walls was the rough-hewn split-stone look. This trend is still the most popular in the Southeast and Central regions. However, the more tailored chiseled-stone look is on the rise, especially in the West. Tumbled stone offers a more contemporary look and is rising in popularity, as well, especially in the Northeast.
Landscape Wall Pattern Trends
A random wall pattern offers the old-world look of a hand-built stone wall. For many years, this was the prevailing trend in landscape walls, and is still popular in the Central region. The tailored linear look had gained in popularity in recent years and is still very popular in the Central and West regions. However, the most popular trend, by far, is the modular pattern, which adds a more contemporary look to any face style.
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9 comments
Hi, I was wondering with the efforts towards “green” and sustainability will your company have a line of aesthetically pleasing pervious pavers in the future?
Thanks
Belgard actually offers a variety of beautiful permeable pavers. Availability varies by region, but you should be able to see most of what’s available in your area by clicking this link. Belgard also offers another attractive paver that can be installed either as a standard paver or a permeable paver: Urbana Stone®. There’s also another permeable paver line (Aqualine Series™) that is listed as a commercial product because that’s how its most often used, but it has also been used to create some beautiful residential designs. The cool thing about Aqualine is that is comes is a ton of colors and shapes, so you can create some really unique designs with it. To get more information on what’s available in your area, contact a local installer or dealer by visiting our online locator at Belgard.com/locator.
We like your idea books and pictures on the web site, but most often you do not identify what products/colors are used. That is not helpful. We’ll think we like that look but cannot figure out what color the main stone was or what edging was used and what color it is. We are looking for a tumbled edging (not gray) to go with Mega-arbel Smokey Mountain. It would be helpful if your pictures said which stone type and color was used for the main project and what stone type and color was used for the edging.
Because Belgard has multiple manufacturing facilities around the U.S. and Canada that each produce the pavers using local aggregates, the product and colors vary slightly by region. What region are you in? That would help us to make some recommendations. Or, if you like to talk to a local installer or dealer for more ideas, visit Belgard.com/locator.
Paver called Harvest Blend. Do you still make this paver? It is for my driveway. I only need 1 palette of it as I am installing a bike pad next to my garage & need that same paver.
Thank you,
Penny Parker
Harvest Blend is one of our paver colors. Many of our pavers styles come in that color. If you’re planning to do the installation yourself, contact your local Belgard dealer to find out which Belgard paver styles and colors are available in your area. To find the nearest dealer or a qualified installer, visit http://www.belgard.com/locator.