This is an example of a large traditional full sun front yard stone driveway in Chicago.

Tired of freezing bleak winters, this client decided to split her time between Michigan and Southern California. She bought this bright, airy home that epitomizes West Coast living, but the prior owner had not done anything to maintain the garden in many years. The grounds were filled with poorly placed and sickly-looking plants. The new homeowner wanted her garden to be a respite from subzero temperatures, filled year-round with flowers. Deciding what to keep, what to move and what to add, we came up with a plant pallet full of California and Mexico natives, and lots of succulents as well. We added over 1000 plants, filling this property with lush, year-round color that is undeniably Southern Californian.

Photo of a mid-sized traditional full sun front yard stone driveway in San Francisco.

This Mediterranean style landscape compliments the style of the home. The fountain in the motor court creates white noise that is reflected from the stucco walls of the house, covering any noise from the adjacent street. The infinity pool reflects the water of the bay. Fire bowls on either side of the pool provide ambience at night. Landscape lighting around the entire property enhances the fountain and palms and lights the way along the brick walkways. Emerald Coast Real Estate Photography

Left side of driveway includes new Fond du Lac outcropping stone retaining wall and a variety of shrubs, perennials, and ornamental grasses. Westhauser Photography

Westphalen Photography
This is an example of a large farmhouse partial sun gravel driveway in Burlington.

Photo of a large traditional full sun courtyard brick driveway in New York for spring.

Andrea Rojas
Design ideas for a large contemporary front yard driveway in Los Angeles.

Apple Pruning Post-Pruning just before bloom
Design ideas for a mid-sized farmhouse full sun side yard gravel landscaping in New York for spring.

Jennifer Cheung
Photo of a large mediterranean full sun front yard gravel landscaping in Los Angeles.

Gated Driveway
Design ideas for a large mid-century modern full sun front yard concrete paver driveway in Los Angeles.

This beautiful interwoven brick front walk is illuminated by two sizes of Swirls Path Lights leading to the front porch and a small sitting area. The landscape lights provide artistic garden sculpture by day and dramatic lighting for the front yard and pathway at night. Photo by Lyle Braund, Attraction Lights

Beautiful modern home in the hills of Lehi, Utah. Gorgeous views accented by tasteful modern design and details.
Inspiration for a mid-sized contemporary full sun front yard driveway in Salt Lake City.

A couple by the name of Claire and Dan Boyles commissioned Exterior Worlds to develop their back yard along the lines of a French Country garden design. They had recently designed and built a French Colonial style house. Claire had been very involved in the architectural design, and she communicated extensively her expectations for the landscape. The aesthetic we ultimately created for them was not a traditional French country garden per se, but instead was a variation on the symmetry, color, and sense of formality associated with this design. The most notable feature that we added to the estate was a custom swimming pool installed just to the rear of the home. It emphasized linearity, complimentary right angles, and it featured a luxury spa and pool fountain. We built the coping around the pool out of limestone, and we used concrete pavers to build the custom pool patio. We then added French pottery in various locations around the patio to balance the stonework against the look and structure of the home. We added a formal garden parallel to the pool to reflect its linear movement. Like most French country gardens, this design is bordered by sheered bushes and emphasizes straight lines, angles, and symmetry. One very interesting thing about this garden is that it is consist entirely of various shades of green, which lends itself well to the sense of a French estate. The garden is bordered by a taupe colored cedar fence that compliments the color of the stonework. Just around the corner from the back entrance to the house, there lies a double-door entrance to the master bedroom. This was an ideal place to build a small patio for the Boyles to use as a private seating area in the early mornings and evenings. We deviated slightly from strict linearity and symmetry by adding pavers that ran out like steps from the patio into the grass. We then planted boxwood hedges around the patio, which are common in French country garden design and combine an Old World sensibility with a morning garden setting. We then completed this portion of the project by adding rosemary and mondo grass as ground cover to the space between the patio, the corner of the house, and the back wall that frames the yard. This design is derivative of those found in morning gardens, and it provides the Boyles with a place where they can step directly from their bedroom into a private outdoor space and enjoy the early mornings and evenings. We further develop the sense of a morning garden seating area; we deviated slightly from the strict linear forms of the rest of the landscape by adding pavers that ran like steps from the patio and out into the grass. We also planted rosemary and mondo grass as ground cover to the space between the patio, the corner of the house, and the back wall that borders this portion of the yard. We then landscaped the front of the home with a continuing symmetry reminiscent of French country garden design. We wanted to establish a sense of grand entrance to the home, so we built a stone walkway that ran all the way from the sidewalk and then fanned out parallel to the covered porch that centers on the front door and large front windows of the house. To further develop the sense of a French country estate, we planted a small parterre garden that can be seen and enjoyed from the left side of the porch. On the other side of house, we built the Boyles a circular motorcourt around a large oak tree surrounded by lush San Augustine grass. We had to employ special tree preservation techniques to build above the root zone of the tree. The motorcourt was then treated with a concrete-acid finish that compliments the brick in the home. For the parking area, we used limestone gravel chips. French country garden design is traditionally viewed as a very formal style intended to fill a significant portion of a yard or landscape. The genius of the Boyles project lay not in strict adherence to tradition, but rather in adapting its basic principles to the architecture of the home and the geometry of the surrounding landscape. For more the 20 years Exterior Worlds has specialized in servicing many of Houston's fine neighborhoods.

This is an example of a contemporary front yard concrete paver driveway in Orange County.

Inspiration for a large modern full sun front yard concrete paver driveway in Portland.

Design ideas for a mid-sized traditional partial sun front yard brick driveway in Chicago.

HNA Hardscape Project Award Winner Permeable Paradise Grand Island, Nebraska Grindstone Hardscapes The goal was to create a maintenance-free system with extreme curb appeal for these homeowners when installing their new driveway, patio, and front entrance. The entire project is permeable and heated, including the front steps. The three piece paver used Gascony Tan for the field to match the home and Brookestone slate for accents. The field was laid at a 45 degree angle to the house, a solution to the road not being square to any entrance on the driveway or walk. The pavers never see the snow or ice on them. Both are drained through the joints as soon as touching the surface. The heat cord had to be fastened to wire mesh on top of the rock base to hold it in place, and then the bedding layer was screeded over it. Traditional paver edging/grid was used on the driveway as an edge restraint, with a decorative concrete curb being laid over top of it, to increase strength and tie it in with the landscapes on the property. Each entrance to the circle drive and to the front door is announced by custom columns built on each side. There are 9 columns total. Each includes four LED low voltage lights for nighttime accent, and one holds a built in mailbox and package delivery shelf. All mail and packages can be picked up right from the car window.

We used exposed beach pebble bands to break up the large amount of concrete in this driveway. The pebble is set on a concrete base and set in mortar which makes it very sturdy to drive on. After installed we put a clear sealer over the pebble to make it shine. The concrete has an etched finish which also shows small amounts of aggregate in the finish. This gives the concrete a sanded finish which is a non-slip finish. Tony Vitale of Landscape Logic