Porcelain Paving For Urban Garden Design

As the RHS Urban Show 2024 runs from tomorrow, 18^th – 21^st April, with a focus on the growing interest in urban and city garden design, we thought it timely to talk about how porcelain pavers from the Outdoor By Minoli Collection make the ideal surface solution for those more metropolitan and smaller outdoor spaces.

Over recent years we’ve all become more appreciative of the benefits of having some form of outside space and spending more time outdoors, and several research studies suggest this will become increasingly important to homebuyers, renters and property developers, particularly in built-up areas.

Last year, a study focused on London flats by the UK’s leading independent real estate agency, Knight Frank, found that two thirds of buyers rated a garden or outdoor space as more important than they did 12 months prior. Also, 65% of respondents stated that a garden, outdoor space, or access to land was the single most important attribute in terms of the factors that would influence their buying decisions. What’s more, examining data from online property portal, On The Market, comparing property prices from March ’23 vs March ‘22, it was also found that the average asking price for a flat in London with a private garden was 12% higher than those without.

Another survey carried out by Hamptons – The Home Experts, in 2022 revealed that 61% of those surveyed who had moved in the last two years stated that outdoor space was a very important factor when choosing a home, and that 78% said that they invest financially in their garden every year.

Lastly, from a property design perspective, in the ‘Future Of Home Design’ survey 2022, published by the New Home Trends Institute (NHTI), a group of more than 300 residential architects, designers and design-minded builders shared their views on outdoor living trends. Of those surveyed, 58% said a connection to the outdoors and nature will be an important influence on their design choices in the coming years, while 45% said outdoor entertaining will also receive increased attention.

So, both property dwellers and professional developers agree that urban outdoor spaces are desirable and worth investing in, especially as 80% of the UK population live in towns or cities, but what are the important design considerations, and why are porcelain pavers the surface solution of choice?

With cities ever-expanding, space being at a premium and busy lifestyles often the norm, the watchwords when creating urban gardens are to design for purpose, reduce maintenance and maximise usability. Whether you want to create a relaxing personal oasis, an area in which to entertain friends or to bring nature into less natural surroundings, patios, courtyards, balconies and side-returns are effectively extensions of our homes and need to be designed with that in mind.

In smaller spaces, the little details are closer and more visible, in different seasons and times of day light and colour become more important, the objective may be to create privacy or to optimise the square footage, and the desired style will also inform the choice of materials, planting, furniture, lighting and ornaments – whether contemporary, traditional or rustic.

It’s important to have a clear brief in mind from the outset, whether to inform your own decisions, or to help articulate your ambitions when seeking professional advice. While investing in the redesign and refurbishment of an urban garden need not be overly expensive, it’s certainly worth thinking ahead about the primary usage, the balance of hardstanding versus beds, pots and foliage, and to choose plants, accessories and materials that will stand the test of time and climate.

Increasingly specified by garden and interior designers, professional landscapers and architects, as well as more savvy property developers, this is where porcelain paving and tiles come into their own.

The Outdoor By Minoli Collection features designs with natural stone, concrete, wood and even marble-effect finishes, so both contemporary and classic design directions can be achieved. They are also available in wide variety of different sizes, colours and surface textures to suit many different functional and aesthetic requirements.

For ground cover, in 20 mm thickness, porcelain pavers are inherently durable and can be installed using traditional adhesive, laid to earth, gravel or sand, or installed on new pedestal systems that provide ease of access to drainage, cabling or pipework. For vertical surface applications, coordinating porcelain tiles, between 8 – 10 mm thick, can be used as complementary cladding, as they too are frost proof and resistant to extremes of temperature.

In terms of low maintenance and longevity, porcelain products will provide a beautiful and useable outside space for many years to come, being fade and scratch resistant, impenetrable to water, oil and chemicals, slip resistant, resilient to algae and mould, easy to clean and heavy load bearing.

Lastly, as many of the ranges in the Outdoor By Minoli Collection are available with indoor versions to match, through bi-fold or traditional patio doors and picture windows, a near seamless indoor-outdoor transition can be achieved. In addition, their uniformity of size, precision rectified edges and the increasing prevalence of larger format sizes allow for increased continuity across the threshold from inside to out.

In short, for urban and city garden design, the qualities of porcelain paving and cladding offer versatility and variety with which to realise your desired design. Plus, as many of the collection are held in plentiful UK stock at the Minoli warehouse and distribution centre in Oxford, deliveries can normally be made available in 2-5 working days, with our own fleet of truck and drivers.

With urban and city garden design in ascendance, we’re sure the RHS Urban show will become as successful as their more established events and we look forward to following news of the event over the coming days.

If you’d like to talk to our team about the Outdoor by Minoli Collection or to order some samples, please do get in touch. We’d gladly discuss your needs on the phone, arrange a time for a design consultation at one of our showrooms or, for our corporate clients, arrange a meeting with your account manager.

• Outdoor Product Enquiries – 01865 778225 / outdoor@minoli.co.uk
• Minoli Oxford – 01865 778225 / showroom@minoli.co.uk
• Minoli London – 020 7474 2934 / thesurfacewithin@minoli.co.uk
• Corporate Clients – Please contact your account manager directly / developers@minoli.co.uk