Choosing Patio Pavers for a Shabby Chic Outdoor Kitchen Aesthetic in Harrisburg, PA
Work and life are stressful enough, so coming home to an easygoing patio and outdoor kitchen—one that’s not pretentious or fussy—might be a welcome breath of relief for your clients. To help them achieve an easygoing aesthetic, you could try a style called “shabby chic.” Here’s our guide for choosing patio pavers as part of a shabby chic outdoor kitchen aesthetic in Harrisburg, PA.
Related: 5 LANDSCAPING IDEAS USING MATERIALS FROM OUR LANDSCAPE SUPPLY IN STATE COLLEGE, PA
Understand the Look
If you’re new to shabby chic, it’s a style of design where items are either chosen for their distressed/weathered/aged appearance or where new items are intentionally distressed to achieve an antique appearance.
Tumbled concrete pavers and wall units probably come to mind. These patio pavers typically mimic old limestone pavers found in a Tuscan villa or an ancient village square anywhere in the Old World. They look as though they’ve been there forever, as if they’ve successfully stood up to anything that life threw at them.
Give Them Choices: Patio Pavers, Wall Options
You may find it surprising that tumbled pavers and wall units work well whether the home is elegant, ultramodern, rustic, or suburban. They have enough of a personality that the outdoor spaces take on a character of their own—a character that isn’t necessarily completely driven by the design aesthetics of the home. This is because they are, in a word, visually comfortable. People feel comfortable surrounded by things that have been around for a while. They instinctively relax because they know there is no need to be concerned about the pavers’ longevity or how they’ll be able to maintain their pristine appearance. How relaxing!
Brick can also work well with the shabby chic style. You will have the choice of more weathered textures if you go with concrete versions of brick.
If your clients don’t love the tumbled limestone look, you can suggest pavers with a relatively uneven edge that looks hand-hewn. This will give the space a more casual appearance. Flagstone, sandstone, and bluestone are popular and will work either as natural stone or as concrete pavers; for this style, choose those that don’t have a glossy finish, which looks too new.
Texture is more than just tactile: it’s visual, too. Any paver or wall veneer with a rougher texture and a matte finish could potentially be used in the shabby chic style. A wonderful complement to this is a smooth granite countertop. This can emphasize the antiqued look of the pavers and wall units, while giving your client’s outdoor kitchen a modern twist.
When it comes to size, if your clients prefer concrete pavers to natural stone, you may want to go with relatively small sizes and lay them in a relaxed Ashlar pattern.
Details Matter
There are no color rules when it comes to shabby chic, other than you want materials that offer depth of color and varying tonality in each unit. Monochromatic pavers and wall units look too “new” to work with this design style. Multi-hued colors are readily available in concrete pavers. You can also mix colors on site, by randomly mixing three different shades of one type of paver to create a completely unique outdoor space for your clients.