Gardens are spaces that have been loved and treasured for years and more of us are understanding the importance of having our own beautiful outdoor space to relax, unwind and enjoy – they truly can be an extension of your home! If you’re looking to update an existing garden or are carrying out a full renovation, we have 10 inspirational patio flooring trends that will help to create your dream garden. Whether it’s a large English country garden or modern townhouse courtyard, there are plenty of ways to design a patio area to suit your needs. We hope you find inspiration from these garden trends and outdoor stone paving ideas.
Shop Outdoor Tiles for Patios
1. Opt for matching indoor, outdoor tiles
An ever-popular patio flooring trend for stone pavers and tiles is to choose the same matching stone from a kitchen through to garden. This makes an ultimate inspiring indoor, outdoor living space, with many limestone and porcelain tiles being suitable for the interior and exterior - creating a seamless look. The Dijon tumbled limestone tile and paving offers a forgiving surface suitable for kitchens and gardens alike, whilst its tumbled finish and beige neutral tones complement a range of styles, design and properties.
If you are looking for a porcelain alternative, then the Provence Crema stone effect porcelain paving is a perfect choice. The Provence Crema tumbled porcelain has an ivory cream base with soft hints of grey - the detailed print and subtle variation between the pavers makes this stone effect tile hard to distinguish from a natural limestone. Seen here, the porcelain tiles flow and help the indoors become an extension of the outdoors.
|
|
|
2. Create a pathway with stone cobbles
Depending on the layout of your exterior, there can often be a need for path and walkways to reach different areas of your patio flooring. A beautiful way to create a pathway is to use natural stone cobbles – these Clermont Gris grey limestone cobbles add a charm and elegance, as well as providing a textured and hardwearing surface underfoot. A pathway not only offers a practical element, but also breaks up the landscaping of your garden and leads the eye through to your patio.
 |
The collection of outdoor cobbles offers durable cobble stone tiles in an array of shades. Suitable for exterior spaces, all our outdoor cobbles are frost resistant and tried and tested as fit for purpose, with some being suitable for driveways. Outdoor limestone cobbles offer both charm and practicality for all sized spaces, from a small cottage courtyard to large country gardens alike.
3. Choose beige stone effect tiles
Following recent trends and advances in the porcelain paving market, stone effect porcelain pavers have become more realistic with a greater choice of shades and prints. The difference to indoor stone effect and outdoor stone effect is the thickness and finish. Stone effect paving usually 20mm thick with a R11 grip finish making it suitable for exterior. A big patio flooring trend is beige outdoor tiles for their ability to complement any exterior space and bring a subtle warmth to the garden. A few favourites would be the Dorchester Aged White pavers and Hambleton Beige porcelain pavers for their tumbled effect edges and soft beige tones with stone effect detailing. Contemporary beige stone effect options such as the Avondale Beige and Henlow Beige offer sleek straight edges and consistent beige tones with flowing movement.
|
|
|
4. Use large format grey flagstone paving
For those wishing to emulate a true English country garden feel, using large format grey flagstone paving tiles offer a timeless and classic look. Grey tumbled limestone or flagstone pavers have been used for years, thanks to their forgiving and dense characteristics, as well as offering a beautiful outdoor tile within the landscape. We also suggest choosing a large format tile as this creates the illusion of a bigger space, as well as minimising the grout joints – bringing focus to the patio tiles themselves. Here the Worn Grey limestone pavers and Farrow Grey tumbled limestone pavers achieve this inspirational country garden design effortlessly. Choose a grout colour that is the same or slightly lighter than the tile to really set the whole patio floor off.
|
|
|
5. Create different levels with porcelain paving
One consideration for many when designing a patio area is to create a sense of privacy and seclusion. If you live somewhere with nearby neighbouring houses, a great way to achieve this is to create different levels stepping down into a stone effect porcelain paving patio. The White Pearl stone look porcelain pavers are a contemporary favourite seen in this modern townhouse with the sunken patio and surrounding trees providing a private spot to sit and relax. This limestone effect tile brightens a small space whilst also being very hardwearing and near enough stain resistant for outdoors.
|
|
|
6. Patio flooring around a swimming pool
If you have the luxury of a swimming pool, then why not enhance and add inspiration to the space by designing a stone patio around your swimming pool area! Majority of porcelain and limestone pavers suitable for outside are also suitable as pool surroundings, offering enough grip and practicality for poolside gardens. Enjoy Summer months with afternoons sat reading by the pool or evenings dining alfresco on your patio. Photographed here is the Tuscany seasoned limestone paving to inspire your outdoor pool garden ideas. The Tuscany seasoned limestone paving emulates a true rustic and country feel. This textured honey toned stone, features subtle tonal variation as well as rich fossilisation resulting in a characterful and forgiving outdoor limestone tile.
|
|
Alternatively, the Clermont Gris aged tumbled limestone paving is a classic grey limestone that sits beautifully as patio flooring alongside this grand country pool garden. Clermont Gris aged tumbled limestone paving is a beautiful light grey tumbled limestone with fossil details. The grey hues blend effortlessly with a subtle warmth and a timeless charm from the aged-tumbled finish.
|
|
7. Plant a flower border next to your patio
A wonderful way to soften hardscaping such as stone patio tiles is to add a flower border into your design. Not only will this give year-round inspiration and attract pollinators or other insects but will also create a beautiful garden space to sit and admire – providing colour and texture. Whether it’s an abundant display of Spring tulips or a mixed Summer bed that will bake in the sunshine, planting a flower border will really help make an inspirational garden patio design!
|
|
|
8. Create zones in your patio design
Gardens once seen as an uninspiring patch of grass with a rectangular patio at the end can be transformed by clever landscaping and sectioning of the space. Here this delightful Cotswold country garden makes use of Farrow Grey tumbled limestone cobbles, paired with Dijon tumbled limestone pavers to create separate zones. In the outdoor space, the whole garden is not instantly revealed - making it a joy to wander down the cobbled pathways and discover a different vista at each turn. If you are wishing to create a similar look, combining a large format paver with small cobbles work effectively at adding interest, as well as choosing complementing tile shades or colours.
|
|
|
9. Add in stone steps
Whether your outdoor space is on a hill, unlevel or a different height to your home, steps are often needed and desired in gardens. Achieving a beautiful patio design doesn’t have to end with the patio itself – using the same stone as steps down or up into a paved area really does finish off a space gracefully! This perfectly landscaped garden shows great inspiration with the Dijon brushed limestone paving and bespoke matching bullnose step pieces, centred by a modern water feature and framed with immaculate low box hedging.
 |
10. Incorporate gravel into a porcelain patio
To conclude our top 10 patio flooring trends, incorporating gravel around a porcelain patio is a great way to break things up and bring in a different texture. Stone effect porcelain paving comes in a range of colours and realistic prints, usually in 600 x 600 or 900 x 600 and suit modern or contemporary gardens perfectly. The Light Mist stone effect porcelain outdoor tile is used in this newly renovated garden with the stepping-stone-style paving sat on complementing gravel, leading you to the end of the garden with a patio for all the family to gather. The Avondale Grey porcelain paving was used in a Cotswold stone house for a contrast of grey against the stone and gravel, complementing the anthracite windows and doors. Avondale Grey features beautiful detail and movement from tile to tile in a true grey colour.
|
|
|
FAQ's on patio flooring
What is the difference between indoor tiles and outdoor tiles?
The biggest difference to indoor and outdoor stone tiles is the thickness. Most exterior paving is 20mm or 30mm thick, meaning it can be laid onto compacted hardcore with a sand and cement mix. Many of our indoor limestones are 15mm with some in a 20mm thickness which can be used internally and externally. Every tile we supply as a paver has been marked as frost resistant and is a suitable surface finish for outdoors. Porcelain paving is typically in a 20mm thickness with a ‘R11’ grip finish. Internal porcelain tends to be 10mm thick with a ‘R10’ finish.
How do you clean outdoor patio flooring?
With a few key steps, outdoor patio flooring will look beautiful for years to come. Porcelain paving is near enough stain resistant, and limestone is very forgiving but does require a little maintenance. Both can be jet washed seasonally using a suitable cleaning product and we recommend sealing limestone patio slabs upon installation. Read more on cleaning outdoor porcelain paving and cleaning outdoor stone paving.
What are the best slabs to use for a garden patio?
There are a whole range of different materials for garden patios out there. As direct importers of natural stone tiles for over 28 years, we’ve dedicated a lot of time and expertise to sourcing the very best stones! In our honest opinion, limestone, sandstone and porcelain are the best materials for garden patio slabs. Limestone and sandstone are natural materials, whereas porcelain is man-made – they are all very hardwearing and dense, as well as being available in a variety of finishes, colours and patterns.
Free Patio Flooring Samples
The perfect starting point for any garden project is to order our complimentary hand samples. Each sample is carefully packed by our sample team and delivered straight to your door. Our stone patio flooring samples are ideal to use against your outdoor furniture, planting and exterior finishes to guide and help you in choosing patio tile designs.
So, there we have it! We hope this article has provided inspiration and design ideas for your own property and outdoor space. Whether it’s a small plot or a large country estate, there are many ways to enhance a garden with paving tiles and designs. As ever, we welcome a visit to one of our UK inspirational showrooms with displays of our outdoor limestone and porcelain tiles to see in person and help you with your project.
