How a Mason Reflects the Beauty of Nature in Their Work in Newport and Bristol RI Areas
The ultimate dream of many homeowners is to completely personalize their backyard into a paradise to get away from the world. What better way to achieve your own personalized paradise than to mold it after the nature you live in? These landscaping tips could inspire your next outdoor living project. Here’s how a mason reflects the beauty of nature in their work in Newport and Bristol, RI, areas.
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Nature Isn’t Straight
The essence of naturalistic masonry is to avoid perfectly straight lines that go on for more than a few feet. Your mason may recommend softening some lines on your patio to help bring the feeling of nature into the manmade spaces. Here’s how a mason might go about it.
Nature doesn’t build in straight lines. Nature is all about irregular, seemingly random lines that flow seamlessly from one to the other. A good mason can appreciate the beauty in the randomness. The lack of straight lines keeps your eye engaged in the space (which is a bonus if your backyard is small and you want to visually expand it). A mason may recommend adding a few curves to a hardscape in order to reflect the surrounding landscape.
Softer Transitions
Another way to incorporate a patio seamlessly into its surroundings is to avoid rigid transitions. Soften the transitions by using different yet complementary materials that gradually blend into one another. For example, a staircase leading down the slope of a hill could have rounded stone edging between the stairs and the softscape. Or, an elegant patio could retain its structure and elegance with precisely laid pavers, but it could feature rounded edges that mirror the contours of the landscape.
A soft transition between a patio and the softscapes surrounding it could also be achieved by using colors that are found in the area, such as any exposed cliffs or rocks. Whether you opt for natural paving stones or concrete pavers, a mason can help you choose patterns, colors and textures that look as though they could have been sourced right on the property - just as it was done before mass transportation.
The Beauty of Stone
If you opt for natural stone, your mason will artfully blend individual stones to show off their unique characteristics. Natural stone is always unique. Even stones from the same quarry, and the same batch, could have vastly different colors and veining. You can be sure your outdoor space is completely unique if your mason builds your patio, walkway, and vertical elements using natural stone.
If you opt for manufactured stone (concrete pavers or wall units), your mason could blend two or three of the available colors in a particular product; this random approach looks more natural, and prevents obvious pattern repeats which are a telltale sign that the material isn’t natural stone.
A natural stone or paver walkway instead of a poured concrete walkway could make for a pleasing entry to your home, and give access to a hard-to-reach spot on your property. If it’s a curved path that meanders through the landscape, you would have an opportunity to enjoy nature for a bit instead of hurrying to your destination.
Using natural or manufactured stone in retaining walls are another key opportunity for adding a natural feel to your landscape. Whether you use natural stone, a natural stone veneer or a manufactured stone veneer, your mason will - just like on a horizontal surface - make the surface appear as random and natural as possible.
Your mason will choose rustic textures such as stacked flagstone as well as colors that blend into the landscape and you’ll achieve the “been there forever” look of ancient walls. This look can be carried over to your grill station, fire pit or outdoor fireplace, and even a water feature for a put-together look that still feels natural.
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