mixing paving materials

Mixing too many paving materials can be bad for your health. Somehow this intersection of cobble stone curbing on a chip and seal gravel driveway, brick banding around terracotta pavers and a richly mulched planter all seem to blend pretty harmoniously. Send in other images of blended materials that you think either work or fail.

stone pool steps and coping

Real stone is not recommended for submerged use like pool waterline tile and steps because the chlorine and other chemicals can fade the stones color quickly. Although, if you have a rugged stone such as these flagstones and don't mind a little color fading, stone steps in the pool can be a very handsome look.

mosaic pool tile

The gold leaf tiles really glisten in the pattern of this mosaic pool tile. This is the indoor pool at Hearst Castle.

antique limestone paving

This antique limestone paving without filling in the interior of Hearst Castle looks a lot like travertine. It has a nice patina to it that only comes with age. You can darken stone with tinted sealers and stains, but the color will be much more uniform than this.

terracotta and flagstone

It is unusual to see terracotta paving transition right into flagstone paving. This is a Hearst Castle patio leading onto a stone pathway.

banding tile on banding tile on concrete

Here is a more elaborate version of the tile banding on concrete paving. This is exposed aggregate, salt finish concrete with terracotta tile banding. The tile banding pavers also have decorative rope style tile banding on them. This is another exterior paving style at Hearst Castle.

basket weave terracotta paving

This basket weave terra cotta paving layout has random decorative tile inserts as well as plain, matching terra cotta tile inserts. Sometimes it looks even better with fewer decorative tiles and more plain ones. This is another paving style outside of Hearst Castle.