The Humble Path

Using the same material in different ways has always appealed to me. Be it different unit sizes or textured finishes, it can help create a unified whole, whilst adding interest and detail to a design. 

In our garden we have celebrated the varying finishes to our ‘prototype’ concrete; from smooth to exposed aggregate to serendipitous variance of the pathway setts - caused by the new-to-market ACLA biochar element being visible in unique and varying ways.   On visiting the factory I was delighted to see these “flaws", overriding the fabricator’s nervous look as they revealed them to me…..

The humble path feels elevated to a work of art through the skilled work of Greg Lyall. Masterfully merging the 1:14 gradient into a level entrance to the terrace and careful selection of setts to create a pleasing randomness to the degree of patina. No easy feat but beautifully and carefully executed by @lyalllandscapes (he’s a handy photographer too!)