Most people would agree that despite the old saying, things are not necessarily the same all over. Whether we’re talking about clothes, food or interior design, what’s popular in New York isn’t always as popular in the Colorado or Florida. The same is true for hardscapes. As the leading manufacturer of pavers and landscape wall products, Belgard knows this better than any other hardscapes brand. Looking at our regional sales over the last three years, we can offer insights on which styles and colors are rising in popularity in different areas of the country and which styles are currently less en vogue.

When looking at which styles of pavers are trending, we looked at regional preferences in face textures, pavers shapes and color families. Nationally, the trends lean towards smooth-faced pavers in large-format square or rectangular shapes in “greige” color families (mixture of grays and tans). However, regional preferences vary regarding these various style attributes.

Paver Face Trends

We examined preferences regarding paver face texture and divided the concrete pavers into three different categories: smooth, natural stone and antiqued (or tumbled). Belgard porcelain pavers are available in a various interpretations of stone and wood grains, but they have a very different look than concrete and so were placed in their own “face” category. Introduced in 2015, interest in Belgard porcelain pavers continues to rise nationally, but they are most popular in the Northeast and Central regions. Nationally, smooth-faced pavers are the hottest trend but are most popular in the Southeast and West. Natural stone textures and antiqued pavers are still popular in those regions, too, but are not the prevailing trend.

Paver Shape Trends

Nationally, the hottest trending paver shapes are larger format pavers in modular patterns. Regionally, we see some variations on those trends. Rectangular and plank style pavers are gaining ground — a trend that is likely to continue to grow — but modular shapes are still the prevailing trend in the Northeast and Southeast. Traditional brick and cobble pavers are still popular in most of the country, and there will likely always be those who prefer that classic, timeless look; however, this style is losing a bit of favor in the Central region. Irregular shapes were extremely popular just a few years ago, but that trend has declined a bit over the last couple of years.

Paver Color Trends

Gray color tones are definitely sweeping the nation as the most popular trend in hardscapes, especially when combined with tans to produce blended tones that pair well with both cool and warm color families. Black and dark charcoal are trending as hot accent colors, particularly in Northeast and Southeast. Reds are definitely losing favor across the board, but browns and tans are still popular in certain areas, particularly the Southeast and West. Gold tones are comparatively new to paver design and are rising in popularity in most regions. Another interesting trend is a spillover from the monochromatic white and light cream schemes of the interior design world. A popular outdoor living trend is to create designs that flow from the interior to the exterior of the home, a movement that has created an increase in the popularity of white and light cream pavers. This look is particularly easy to achieve with porcelain pavers, which are stain resistance (important for maintaining that crisp white look) and can mimic the look of interior flooring.

We divided wall styles into two categories: face texture and wall pattern. Nationally, the prevailing trends center on walls that are constructed using a contemporary modular pattern in color tones that complement the paver field. However, face texture preferences, in particular, vary widely by region.

Landscape Wall Face Trends

For many years, the prevailing trend in landscape walls was the rough-hewn split-stone look. This trend is still the most popular in the Southeast and Central regions. However, the more tailored chiseled-stone look is on the rise, especially in the West. Tumbled stone offers a more contemporary look and is rising in popularity, as well, especially in the Northeast.

Landscape Wall Pattern Trends

A random wall pattern offers the old-world look of a hand-built stone wall. For many years, this was the prevailing trend in landscape walls, and is still popular in the Central region. The tailored linear look had gained in popularity in recent years and is still very popular in the Central and West regions. However, the most popular trend, by far, is the modular pattern, which adds a more contemporary look to any face style.