This is an example of a mid-sized contemporary front yard driveway in London with gravel.

Neave Group Outdoor Solutions
This is an example of a large traditional front yard full sun driveway in New York with a garden path and gravel.

This is an example of a mid-sized traditional front yard full sun driveway for spring in Houston with gravel.

Photo Cred. Dustin Ortiz
Mid-sized country front yard partial sun driveway in San Diego with a garden path and gravel for summer.

This is an example of a large arts and crafts front yard full sun driveway for spring in Philadelphia with a garden path and gravel.

Nichole Kennelly Photography
Photo of a large transitional front yard partial sun driveway in Kansas City with gravel.

In 2003, we received a call from John and Jennifer Randall of West Houston. They had decided to build a French-style home just off of Piney Point near Memorial Drive. Jennifer wanted a modern French landscape design that reflected the symmetry, balance, and patterns of Old World estates. French landscapes like this are popular because of their uniquely proportioned partier gardens, formal garden and constructions, and tightly clipped hedges. John also wanted the French landscape design because of his passion for his heritage (he originally came to Houston from Louisiana), as well as the obvious aesthetic benefits of creating a natural complement to the architecture of the new house. The first thing we designed was a motor court driveway/parking area in the front of the home. While you may not think that a paved element would have anything at all do with landscape design, in reality it is truly apropos to the theme. French homes almost always have paving that extends all the way to the house. In the case of the Randall home, we used interlocking concrete pavers to create a surface that looks much older than it really is. This prevented the property from looking too much like a new construction and better lent itself to the elegance and stateliness characteristic of French landscape designs in general. Further blending of practical function with the aesthetic elements of French landscaping was accomplished in an area to the left of the driveway. John loved fishing, and he requested that we design a convenient parking area to temporarily store his boat while he waited for a slip at the marina to become available. Knowing that this area would function only for temporary storage, we came up with the idea of integrating this special parking area into the green space of a parterre garden. We laid down a graveled area in the shape of a horseshoe that would easily allow John back up his truck and unload his boat. We then surrounded this graveled area with a scalloped hedge characterized by a very bright, light green color. Planting boxwoods and Holly trees beyond the hedge, we then extended them throughout the yard. This created a contrast of light and green ground cover that is characteristic of French landscape designs. By establishing alternating light and dark shades of color, it helps establish an unconscious sense of movement which the eye finds it hard to resist following Parterre gardens like this are also keynote elements to French landscape designs, and the combination of such a green space with the functional element of a paved area serves to elevate the mundane purpose of a temporary parking and storage area into an aesthetic in its own right. Also, we deliberately chose the horseshoe design because we knew this space could later be transformed into a decorative center for the entire garden. This is the main reason we used small stones to cover the area, rather than concrete or pavers. When the boat was eventually relocated, the darkly colored stones surrounded by a brightly colored hedge gave us an excellent place to mount an outdoor sculpture. The elegance of the home and surrounding French landscape design warranted attention at all hours so we contracted a lighting design company to ensure that all important elements of the house and property were fully visible at night. With mercury vapor lights concealed in trees, we created artificial moonlight that shone down on the garden and front porch. For accent lighting, we used a combination of up lights and down lights to differentiate architectural features, and we installed façade lights to emphasize the face of the home itself. Although a new construction, this residence achieved such an aura of stateliness that it earned fame throughout the neighborhood almost overnight, and it remains a favorite in the Piney Point area to this day. For more the 20 years Exterior Worlds has specialized in servicing many of Houston's fine neighborhoods.

A custom tandem driveway was built with cobblestone tire strips and concrete turfstone pavers filled with pea gravel. The result is an attractive and permeable driveway.

Inspiration for a large traditional backyard full sun driveway for spring in Houston with a water feature and gravel.

Gorgeous modern landscape with clean lines and stunning detail.
Photo of a mid-sized modern front yard full sun driveway in Dallas with with rock feature, gravel and a wood fence.

Inspiration for a mid-sized traditional front yard partial sun driveway for summer in New York with a garden path and gravel.

I built this on my property for my aging father who has some health issues. Handicap accessibility was a factor in design. His dream has always been to try retire to a cabin in the woods. This is what he got. It is a 1 bedroom, 1 bath with a great room. It is 600 sqft of AC space. The footprint is 40' x 26' overall. The site was the former home of our pig pen. I only had to take 1 tree to make this work and I planted 3 in its place. The axis is set from root ball to root ball. The rear center is aligned with mean sunset and is visible across a wetland. The goal was to make the home feel like it was floating in the palms. The geometry had to simple and I didn't want it feeling heavy on the land so I cantilevered the structure beyond exposed foundation walls. My barn is nearby and it features old 1950's "S" corrugated metal panel walls. I used the same panel profile for my siding. I ran it vertical to match the barn, but also to balance the length of the structure and stretch the high point into the canopy, visually. The wood is all Southern Yellow Pine. This material came from clearing at the Babcock Ranch Development site. I ran it through the structure, end to end and horizontally, to create a seamless feel and to stretch the space. It worked. It feels MUCH bigger than it is. I milled the material to specific sizes in specific areas to create precise alignments. Floor starters align with base. Wall tops adjoin ceiling starters to create the illusion of a seamless board. All light fixtures, HVAC supports, cabinets, switches, outlets, are set specifically to wood joints. The front and rear porch wood has three different milling profiles so the hypotenuse on the ceilings, align with the walls, and yield an aligned deck board below. Yes, I over did it. It is spectacular in its detailing. That's the benefit of small spaces. Concrete counters and IKEA cabinets round out the conversation. For those who cannot live tiny, I offer the Tiny-ish House. Photos by Ryan Gamma Staging by iStage Homes Design Assistance Jimmy Thornton

Driveway entrance with granite-pillar-anchored stone walls and reclaimed granite apron. Photo by Pete Cadieux
Large traditional courtyard full sun driveway in Boston with gravel.

This is an example of an asian front yard partial sun driveway in Yokohama with a garden path and gravel.

A granite-edged peastone driveway with granite block detail provides an elegant entry. By carefully framing views and clearly defining spaces for entertaining and arrival, Ryan Associates achieved a feeling of spaciousness and privacy within the very narrow bounds of this property. Site and circulation challenges were addressed by purposefully delineating paving patterns, planting design, and changes in elevation to define and separate the spaces and their uses. The signature feature, an oval lawn, is set off by a stunning grove of birch trees and a ramped grass path with granite steps – the focal point for an upper bluestone terrace overlooking the space.

This Cape Cod cottage has a pea stone driveway with Cobblestone Edge and Lawn Center Strip that is bordered by an expansive lawn, Nikko Blue Hydrangea, Privet, Rhododendron and specimen trees.

Client wanted to re-do all their landscaping. Featured in these images are the front yard and driveway. We installed a concrete stamped driveway, pavers, shrubs, mulch, artificial turf, pea gravel, planter boxes and pots, and outdoor lighting.

This customer wanted a pathway that could be used with no upkeep and no tripping hazards.
Small modern front yard partial sun driveway in Austin with with lawn edging and gravel.

Gravel paths with cobblestone borders wend throughout the property; exuberant cutting-flower beds are punctuated by Italian cypress trees. A cedar pergola surrounded by rose varieties bridges the main and guest residences.