This 'Stacked Bond' Layout for Garden Patios and Paths Is the One Trick to Make Outdoor Spaces Feel Elevated and 'Less Busy'

I love when people use small pavers and tiles for a garden — it adds a sense of rhythm to outdoor spaces that you don't always get from those huge porcelain slabs. Of course, you can use them in combination with large tiles, too. It's just something that gives your patio and pathways a little more depth of character.

The other plus? If you choose rectangular pavers or tiles, you can have some fun with the layout as well. And there are a lot of layouts to choose from, but the one that captures my design imagination most is the 'stacked bond'. This basically refers to a layout where the tiles or pavers are stacked directly on top of each other, rather than offset, giving you clean lines and pure geometric forms.

In my garden design research, it's a style that I've come across repeatedly in the work of garden designer Laura Hogg, founder of For The Outdoors, used in a variety of ways that each add something different to the resulting garden. What they all have in common, however, is a sense of cool, modern style, and something a little bit different from the norm.

To better get to know how to wield a 'stacked bond' patio or garden path in my own space, I asked Laura for the lowdown.

For Laura, using these smaller, rectangular pavers offers a lot of versatility to a garden design. "There’s so much you can do with them," Laura tells me. "I like to mix up textures in hard landscaping, and this layout gives you a lot of flexibility to be creative without it feeling too busy. It keeps things interesting, looks great, and feels nice underfoot."

There are some practical benefits, too, especially when it comes to drainage. "Designers also like using stackers because of the permeability," Laura explains. "It allows water to flow between the gaps and into the ground below, rather than causing runoff, which can lead to pooling elsewhere in the garden."

Good looks and good sense? This modern garden idea is a win-win.

How to Style 'Stacked Bond' Patios

However, it's not a totally foolproof shortcut to a stylish garden. Wielding this paving layout in a landscaping scheme takes some skill, too. To start with, think simple. "I tend to stick to one color palette throughout the space, which helps it feel more contemporary," Laura says.

You should also consider exactly how this type of patio or pathway fits into the wider context of your scheme, in terms of other hardscaping and planting, too. "I’ll often combine the smaller stackers with larger format paving and gravel, but keep the layout quite simple," Laura says.

And, just because they're a super modern, graphic design choice, doesn't mean your planting has to follow suit. Combining this style with a more naturalistic planting scheme can make your landscaping feel more three-dimensional, especially when you choose something like a walkable groundcover plant that softens the edges of your rectangular layouts.

The good news? It's a versatile choice that you can adapt to a lot of styles. "Most of the design decisions come from the overall feel we’re trying to create — that’s influenced by the house, the client’s style, and the mood of the garden," Laura says. Whether you go for a modern gray paver, a rustic brick, or a Mediterranean-inspired terracotta, the idea just gives it that slightly more contemporary feel.

You can also play with things like orientation to guide the eye around the garden. Maybe a patio could be laid horizontally across your space, but the path extending from it with a vertical 'stacked bond'.

"I often like to lay them straight and aligned, especially in smaller gardens," Laura warns, though. "Using smaller units in a simple layout helps keep things calm — too much going on in a small space can feel visually overwhelming."

"In larger gardens, there’s more room to play. I might mix them with larger format paving or change the orientation to add interest."

How Should You Lay This Patio to Get the Look?

Trust me, every landscaper will have their own point of view on how a patio or path should and can be laid, but if you want to recreate the look of Laura's gardens, here's her advice.

"They’re usually installed on a bed of sand, with a solid sub-base underneath," she explains. "The edges need to be properly restrained."

Often one of the big questions with a patio is what you choose to use between the gaps, but really, it's an optional step. "You can brush sand into the joints to fill the gaps, but I often leave them open," Laura says. "It helps with drainage and also allows plants to grow between them. That can worry clients a bit, but it can look really nice and natural — and you can always pull anything out if needed."

If you're planning your garden makeover for this year now, it's an idea to consider, and one that technically won't cost you any more money, if you've already opted for a small, rectangular style of tile or paver. Yet, it's one of those details that just makes a garden feel expensive.

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