Top Natural Stone Landscape Trends of 2018

Landscape architecture and design is an increasingly popular topic as more people are investing in their homes. I came across an article that inspired me to write about the top natural stone landscape trends of 2018. The combination of technology, beauty, and cost savings, are driving the natural stone landscape market and natural stone manufacturers always looking for new ways to help their customers.

CT Blend Mosaic Firepit

Benefits of Natural Stone Landscape

Using natural stone for landscape purposes is nothing new. In some cases it existed as part of the original property and was incorporated into the layout and at other times it has been created to add a “little something” to the project. We offer a product called Old New England Wall because at one point these stones were actually part of walls (landscape stone) in New England. They were simply stones found on the land and stacked to make real stone walls. 

Natural Fieldstone Wall in New England

There are many benefits of working with natural stone: it's readily available, long lasting, comes in different shapes, sizes, and colors to meet the needs of any project, and can be "worked" for design purposes. 

Natural Stone Landscape Trends of 2018

Stone walls never go out of style but now it’s time to explore some of the stone landscape trends we are expecting to see in 2018:

Natural Stone Flagging: Bluestone is still the popular choice when it comes to stone patios and pool coping but the market is slowly demanding something new… and it’s natural stone flagging. Large irregular pieces make for unique patterns and designs so it’s truly unique to your project.

Decorative Stone: People are looking to use stone in place of other landscape items because of the colors and how long it lasts. It may be around the pool, on a walkway, or even for your garden. Decorative stone requires almost no maintenance and will outlast most of the common landscape products used for these applications.

Firepits & Fireplaces: This trend took off in 2017 and it’s expected to be in high demand for 2018. Natural stone fireplaces, pits, and barbecues, and anything else related to stone and fire will be popular once again but now people want something different. You’ll see everything from the startup kit to the high-end custom outdoor kitchens done with stone.

Unique Designs: I remember the good old days when I used a diving board to jump into a pool. I also remember my dad telling me stories about jumping off rocks into a river. The two have now been combined and we are seeing more requests for “dive rocks”. These are very large slabs hang slightly over the edge of the pool to jump off instead of a diving board. Use caution, it’s real stone and slippery when wet.

You can fit natural stone into just about any residential or commercial project. You can also check out the entire ASLA Survey Results here.

What other natural stone landscape design trends do you expect to see in 2018? Leave a comment below.