Create A Modern-Day Mosaic With New And Broader Paver Choices

Constantin Brancusi (1876 - 1957), Romanian sculptor, painter and photographer, is considered a pioneer of modernism, and one of the most influential sculptors of the 20th-century. Brancusi was once quoted as saying: "Architecture is inhabited sculpture." Which brings me to the topic at hand - What makes today''s pavers something other than what you may have perceived?

In retrospective (but not that far back), an interlocking concrete pavement driveway, patio or walkway was an installation of one ore more concrete paver shapes laid within a pattern or randomly positioned with a matching or contrasting border. These similarities soon changed as landscape architects, designers and contractors envisioned interspersing additional colors and other enhancements such as circle and fan patterns to embellish the paved areas. For believers with a more creative bent, it still left limited ability for creative expression.

As more interior lifestyles transcended into outdoor spaces, consumer demands changed and to some degree, turned mind-sets inside out. Concrete paver manufacturers like Cambridge - makers of pavingstones with ArmorTec® - heard their pleas and offered what is now a array of paver products that are designed to cohabit and appeal to primary appetites for individuality much like an art form. New offerings from Cambridge are available in a myriad of natural textures, scale and configurations in surprising, out-of-the-box colors and fashionable tones.

So what does all this mean to you, the homeowner?
Motifs in a compatible thicknesses range from classically traditional to perky ultra-modern. Surfaces can vary from quarried natural stone to having resemblances of hi-end interior floors. Solo installations or mixed patterns are your preference. Here are four up-and-coming and popular paver interpretations:

• Cambridge Nor Stone 4-Pc. Design Kit - Four smooth-surfaced, elongated shapes with chamfered edges that deliver linear, neo-modern yet classic results.

• Cambridge Timber Stone 4-Pc. Design Kit - The much-coveted attraction of indoor hardwood flooring is captured in this plank-style concrete paver foursome.

• Cambridge Natural Stone 7-Pc. Pattern Design Kit - Create idyllic, multi-dimensional appeal outdoors with these scaled-up seven paver shapes cut from reclaimed stone.

• Cambridge Travertine 4-Pc. French Pattern Design Kit - Repurposed, this revered, finished form of limestone is carefully honed and tumbled for outdoor living.

Also consider incorporating River Rock, a free-style array of shapes with old world charm; slender Brick Alley Cast Stone with handcrafted character; and randomly placed XL Smooth.

According to info.houzz.com - a website platform dealing with architecture, interior and landscape design and home improvement - homeowners prioritize outdoor living, ease of maintenance and beauty in crafting outdoor spaces. Current manufactured pavement products and related, natural materials repurposed in paver form can address all three main concerns and stimulate you to "play outside" with creative ideas.

Landscape architect Richard W. Gibney, RLA, ISA of Gibney Design LA PC said: "Having the wider variety of paver products to choose from offers a client the opportunity to focus on achieving even greater individuality." Find inspiring photos, project specifications, distributors and recommended contractors at cambridgepavers.com and you''ll be ready to express yourself.