Material choice is the decision homeowners agonise over least and regret most. A few simple rules make it far easier to get right.
Take your cue from the house
Look at the permanent elements: brick, stone, roof and window trim. Siding and paint change; masonry does not.
Identify the undertone. Red-brown brick, grey-buff stone and warm tan mortar each push in a different direction, and mixing warm and cool tones is what makes a combination look off without anyone being able to say why.
The roof colour matters more than people expect, particularly on a house seen from a slope or a road above.
Mortar colour is often the closest guide to a paver blend that will sit comfortably against the house.
Contrast, not clash
Paving should generally sit a shade or two apart from the house — close enough to relate, different enough not to look like a failed match.
Trying to match brick exactly almost never works. Choose a blend that includes a tone from the brick rather than copying it.
Use a border or accent course in a contrasting tone to define edges. It does more for the finished look than the field colour does.
Retaining walls and steps should relate to the paving, not compete with it. Two strong materials in one view is one too many.
Test properly before ordering
Get full-size samples, not a colour chart. Printed and on-screen colours are unreliable.
Lay them on the ground where the work will go, against the house, and look at them in morning light, at midday and at dusk.
Wet them. Pavers and stone look markedly different wet, and you will see that colour after every storm.
View from where people actually stand: the street, the front door, the kitchen window.
Ageing well
Choose blends over single flat colours. Blends hide staining, efflorescence and the odd replaced paver far better.
Very light paving shows every mark; very dark paving gets hot underfoot in a Carolina July.
Strongly fashionable colours date quickly. Neutral field, character in the border, is a safe formula.
Southern Style Turf & Design brings samples on site and lays them against your house before anything is ordered, across the Lake Norman area.
Frequently asked questions
Should pavers match the house brick?
No — relate to it rather than match it. An exact match rarely reads as intentional, and a near-miss looks like a mistake.
Are lighter or darker pavers better?
Mid-tone blends are the safest choice here. Very light shows dirt, very dark holds heat in summer.
How do I test samples properly?
Full-size pieces, laid on site, viewed dry and wet, in morning and evening light, from the places you will actually see them from.
Want this looked at on your property?
We give free, no-pressure on-site estimates across Denver, Mooresville, Cornelius, Davidson, Huntersville and Troutman.
