Garden Design Ideas: Innovative Use of bricks in your Garden

Brick has been used for centuries in the gardens in some form or another and has a rustic creative appeal when employed with the right technique. Many people have used the good old bricks in their landscaping to create interesting gardens with a unique visual appearance. Bricks have been present as a form of building material for several years and are created using the kneaded clay, which is heated up at high temperatures to give it a necessary shape and texture. However, garden designers have come up with new and exciting design ideas and ways to use these age old bricks more aesthetically and transform the gardens into contemporary designs.

The benefits of using bricks in your gardens

[Image – Ginkgo Leaf Studio]

If you have been unsure about why these bricks need to be used in your garden the first place, then learn this that they have been in use for many-many years for a reason. They are heavy and require skill to lay them out properly, but once they have been set, they offer timelessness and durability to your garden paths. You can also create all sorts of shapes to blend the design of the house with that of the garden.

Coordinate the landscape to the house

[Image – Prideaux Design]

In this image, one can see the traditional design, which has been used to link the garden with the house, which creates a sense of uniformity and adds the illusion of space. The perimeter of the wall has been made using the bricks, which match the exterior of the house and form cohesion in the design.

Clearly Demarcated Paths to Link the House and the Garden

[Image – Ginkgo Leaf Studio]

In this house, the paths have been designed with the help of bricks laid out in a certain pattern that has been clearly distinguished with the use of light coloured mortar that defines the shift in the path. The exterior of the house is also made of bricks that tie the house with a garden and also create union of the two spaces.

Contemporary Formal Design for the Garden

[Image –Urrutia Design]

You cannot only create an intimate garden with bricks and mortar, but also give it a modern and formal look using clean lines in the path. In this garden, the classic basket weave design has been used to create distinct lines that define the garden’s path, walls and the stairs. The colour of the terracotta brickwork has been underplayed with plants so that the design can blend in with one another.

Use different patterns

[Image – Exterior Worlds Landscaping & Design]

If you want to introduce some quirk in the landscape and break away from the monotony of red bricks, you can create some interesting mixes with the pattern. In this garden, the designer has used the red bricks to define the perimeter and the stone tiles to work as a pathway that is laid across the pool. Today, there are so many varieties of bricks available that they can be used in several combinations to come up with interesting design ideas and patterns.

Artistic Patio with Brickwork

[Image – Hugh Jefferson Randolph Architects]

You don’t necessarily have to play by the rules. You can treat your landscape as a canvas, as in this design, it creates visually artistic display of brickwork. The house has been constructed in the traditional way, which is complemented by the herringbone pattern of the bricks. It is not only adding an element of design, but also gives the house a direction.

 Cohesive Modern-day Design 

[Image – Moody Landscape Architecture]

You can use bricks in a variety of ways to introduce design, as well as the consistency of pattern. In this image, the designer has used herringbone pattern in the patio to define the seating area while the classic design has been used on the tall wall, which reduces external noise and affords privacy to the garden. The wooden door at the far end complements the wooden fence and a brick wall adjoining the door. The whole design has been tied into one another with the concrete pavements leading to the door and the materials used in the seating bench lend conformity to the overall design.

Unite the bricks with the design

[Image – Jeffrey Gordon Smith Landscape Architecture]

This diverse garden has used many themes to give it its eccentricity. The roundabout brick work lends movement in the garden and at some places unites with the groundcover, which makes it an intrinsic part of the landscape.

Furnished Outdoor Room

[Image – Emily Ruddo]

It is common in urban households with a lot of space to have a fully furnished outdoor room as a preferred design choice. The open rug in the image has been harmonized with the use of brick paving that matches the parquet flooring. The use of brick is moderate in this design, which makes the space look intimate and warm instead of overpowering.

Use Brick as an Accent Wall

[Image – Nicholas Design Collaborative]

In this outer room, the wall that is part of the structure has been accented with the use of brick. There has been no attempt to hide or design the wall with extensive plants or any other design, but the wall itself is a design element. The outdoor dining gets its rustic and earthy appeal from this brick wall as a backdrop. The colour and the design of the wall are in complete agreement with the wooden deck and steel stairs leading to the upper deck.

Square Brick Wall for Privacy

[Image – Elad Gonen]

This design uses the brick wall to create a screen of privacy at the entrance of the house. The brick wall not only seems like a sturdy structure, but also blends well with the landscape by providing the backdrop to the shadows cast by the plants in the front.

Add interesting detail with basic patterns

[Image – Richard Wintersole Architects]

You don’t necessarily need to be very artistic when laying out paths in your garden. You can also use simplistic designs for an effective visual element. In this image, very long bricks have been laid out horizontally, which has been styled with starred bricks for added design.

You can also use different coloured bricks   

[Image – Matthew Cunningham               Landscape Design LLC]

You can ditch the regular red ones for coloured bricks to add detail to your landscape. The blue bricks used in this image are created with much higher temperature as compared to the regular bricks, which make them more durable. Due to this reason, this bricks last much longer in your landscape as they are reticent to water, which makes them perfect for garden paths.

In this image, the herringbone pattern of the blue bricks is complemented by the pathway made of gravel and unimposing plants, which add a sense of softness to the path.

Design Patterns in Brickwork

[Image – Richard Wintersole Architects]

The designer in this house uses the clever play of patterns in the wall to break the monotony of a mass of bricks. This courtyard has been built of bricks, which need to have a variety of patterns to break away from the overwhelming look.

Brick Vortex

[Image – New Eco Landscapes]

This design may be old, but it definitely adds a sense of exciting visual appearance to the tiny backyard of this urban garden in New York. The pattern of this brickwork is a very good design and not to mention amazing view it will give to the people seated on the top deck. With the help of bricks, you get a porous surface and also the benefits of designing it any kind of design pattern.

The designer has been able to create this complex pattern due to modular material of the bricks. You can also use the reclaimed bricks, which bring in interesting textures and a visible mix of colours. With the help of this pattern, the whole design has been integrated with other elements of the garden.

Boring gardens are so passé. There are so many things you can do with designs these days that there are endless possibilities when it comes to landscaping ideas. Be open to experimenting and incorporate some of these design ideas to create an interesting backyard for your home.