Matching the Home and Driveway in Middleton and Sun Prairie, WI Areas

Creating a unified theme between your home and hardscapes isn’t always straightforward. If you want to change out the look of your siding or your roof color in the next few years, you might be wondering what kinds of driveway pavers will be flexible enough to complement any style you choose. To help you make the best choices, here are some tips for matching the home and driveway in Middleton and Sun Prairie WI areas.

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Colors

Choose neutral paver colors that can stand the test of time. You may not have any plans for changing out the exterior of your home, but you can simplify things by choosing neutral colors if you change your mind later.

What makes a color neutral? A good test is if you take four pieces of colored construction paper and put them next to a paver according to their color temperatures: red and yellow together, and green and blue together. If the paver looks good with both warm or cool tones, then it’s a neutral color.

Materials

If you visit historic sites anywhere in the world, you’ll notice that the colors of road and plaza pavers feel just right for the buildings around them because they use locally sourced materials. Anywhere you go, you can’t go wrong with locally sourced clay brick and locally quarried stone. Take cues from nature to choose materials that look like they belong, as long as it’s a good color match for your home. With clay brick and stone, you’re limited in color selection. But you can get exactly the right look if you choose concrete pavers, which come in significantly greater color, style, texture, and finish choices.

Textures and Finishes

Choose textures and finishes that complement the architectural style of the home, not just its colors. Smooth textures are ideal for a modern home but can look fragile and out of place next to a more rustic home. Rough-hewn, weathered, or tumbled textures are ideal for more casual/rustic homes but may look too informal for elegant homes. Landscape designers are great at marrying diverse styles in cohesive ways without your landscape looking like a hodgepodge of styles.

The Feel You Want

Ultimately, your driveway is the first thing people see when they come to your home, especially if your home is set back in the landscape. So what is the feeling you want to have when you get home and when visitors arrive? Keep in mind you can opt for either natural stone, clay brick, or concrete alternatives in any style you prefer.

Elegant and Sophisticated: use timeless materials like granite or limestone, in cool colors.

Warm and Homey: use relaxed, textured pavers such as flagstone or brick for a cottage, bungalow, cabin, or farmhouse styles.

Modern/Minimalist: create a driveway that offers contrast against a home with clean clean lines and a linear aesthetic. Pavers with a brushed finish are perfect for creating a textural contrast.

Estate: an estate “style” is simply a large home in any formal architectural aesthetic. Use brick or granite on the driveways to create a grand entry. Combine the richness of these materials with masonry pillars at the driveway entrance for additional impact.

Contemporary suburban: this style is hard to define, since many suburban tract homes often blend several aesthetics, especially after they’ve undergone a renovation or two. Offering a warm welcome using flagstone or tumbled pavers can fit right in with any aesthetic. It will also help boost curb appeal and set your home apart.

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