13 Walkway Ideas That Will Complement Your Home and Yard

Accent your front—or back—yard with a pretty walkway that’s also functional.

PHOTO: AMY BARTLAM

Outdoor landscaping is an all-season, work-in-progress as you tweak, improve, and maintain your gardens from year to year. But adding hardscaped walkways made of brick, pavers, stone, or gravel is a one-time project that can upgrade the whole look of your yard. Install a statement path to your front door to invite guests in; connect your porch to your fire pit area with simple stepping stones; or guide visitors to your pergola with a walkway that deters them from cutting through your flower beds.Start planning your next outdoor upgrade with our walkway ideas that will turn this functional feature into a beautiful asset.

Add Lush Grasses for Balance

This sleek, poured concrete walkway is a modern contrast to the traditional porch and stone risers used in the entryway. Tall, lush perennial grasses balance the minimalist concrete.

Go Modern and Minimalist

In this symmetrical pathway designed by Blueberry Jones Design, large, rectangular stones lead into the house while also providing access to secondary walkways around the property that pair with the modern aesthetic of the home.

Go Big

Oversized rectangles with crisp corners match the right angles and clean lines of this modern home. Textural gravel, low plants, and dramatic boulders are integrated into the neat layout.

Emulate a Country Walkway

In an English countryside-inspired garden, a layout that pairs single-tone square and rectangular pavers in alternating combinations, with grass between the stones instead of grout, creates an intentional—but unfussy—look.

Mix Multiple Materials

Classic bricks in a herringbone layout offer a timeless option for a front (or back) walkway and staircase. These homeowners opted to use bricks alongside gravel, adding a contrasting landing to connect the curbside to their front path.

Add Solar Lighting

A walkway composed of identical, rectangular pavers laid in parallel rows makes a shorter pathway look longer, while solar-powered lighting alongside the path is both a practical safety improvement and a charming nighttime feature.

Incorporate Stepping Stones

Massive stepping stones in ascending heights create the look of a natural walkway while accommodating a change in elevation. Tidy edging and a low stone wall define the borders.

Keep It Simple

A gently winding walkway cuts across a tidy lawn, wrapping around a showpiece tree in front of this one-story home. Neutral pavers and a traditional offset layout are a timeless, polished option.

Line With Bright Blooms

A rustic walkway made from close-set pavers and lined with rounded tree boughs gets a splash of color when beds of bright red tulips are in bloom.

Leave Space Between Squares

Lines of square pavers create a wide pathway leading to—and around—this pergola. Using grass to fill the space between the squares keeps the walkway linked to the yard, allowing it to connect multiple outdoor spaces without overwhelming the lawn.

Pair Natural Stones with Neat Pavers

This picturesque pool is surrounded by a walkway of square pavers in varying sizes and colors—but it’s the natural stones and small patches of greenery leading to the pool that accent the abundant florals, creating a peaceful, bucolic space to relax.

Think Minimalist

Sometimes, a simple, straight path is the perfect way to go, as proven in this side walkway by Nievera Williams. Borrow from this idea and add triangle-shaped swaths of grass or other ground cover to create an even more dynamic space.

Go Old-School With Rustic Brick

There’s something undeniably charming and inviting about red brick. Here, Hommes + Gardens created a stunning rustic walkway leading away from the client’s house.

Blythe Copeland