Hi, here are some potential ideas!... sounds like you have an exciting project! I cannot wait to see the sandstone sculptures and walkway you create. 1. straight pathway with stones [houzz=] 2. retangular pathway with stones [houzz=] 3. staggered pathway with stones [houzz=] 4. squared offline pathway with square walkway pads [houzz=] This is from and idea book I created on my page. See more in Landscape Ideas, my page.

This arrangement works much better, but some adjustments are needed to make it work. First, the fireplace grouping needs to be tightened. It crowds the dining area and you need a passageway behind the couch. Turn the rug lengthwise, parallel to the fireplace. Pull the large couch about 2 1/2 feet closer to the fireplace, and place the two chairs and loveseat on the ends of the rug, and pull them closer together. This will give you a more intimate conversation area, and not impose on the other areas of the room. Remove that floor lamp from behind the couch. If you need the light in that area, put it by the fireplace. Also, the stereo system on the mantel needs to find another home. Maybe it can go IN the fireplace instead. At the other end of the room, I think the arrangement would look better if the seating were rotated 90 degrees. Keep the rug and coffee table in its current configuration, place the sofa either facing the window or with its back to the window, and put the two chairs opposite it. Finally, the dining area. Now that you've moved the big leather chairs, you should have enough room. Your rug is too small. It should be big enough to give you at least a 2 ft. border all the way around when the chairs are pushed in. And it's a really beautiful table; please uncover it. I can't see what kind of lighting that area has. It really needs a pendant or chandelier hanging directly over the table.

As far as spacing between the pavers, you want a minimum of 3mm or ⅛ an inch, but the ideal spacing really depends on the whole space and how you want to fill the space between pavers. If you are thinking about pea gravel or sand, you probably want less space between to help keep your costs down and make it easier to power wash. If you are looking to add greenery then more space between the pavers gives you more green, creating a more natural-looking space. If you do decide to go the gravel route, you can apply a clear coat of something like gravel-lok. It acts like glue, keeping the gravel in place. It may not be able to take the full force of a power washing, but it will certainly hold the gravel in place better than not having gravel-lok. If you do want to go for a green option, grass could work, You could also look into small succulents, moss, or clover. With any green option, you will have a little more maintenance in the form of trimming and watering, but the look is stunning! You absolutely can put grass between the pavers. It will actually help stabilize and hold the pavers not move them. (if installed correctly) I would space it 4” apart and use netfin or a similar subsurface drip line to water the grass underneath the soil. This look is probably my favorite but you could also use a crushed aggregate in between too. Gravel is a terrible idea because it doesn’t stay in place. Here are some ideas from our projects of all kinds of paver designs:

Pawan, I am glad to see your home coming out in a great shape - kudos to your designer. Coming to your original question, I don't find it over the top , it is barely visible from the front angle and the great tree is definitely helping you there...Still if you want to minimize the earthen impact of terracotta red see the image you may want to add a few rafters as shown in the pic below ( wooden or metal..) I would recommend you to stick to grey, black and whites as a central theme. The red on the railing can cede ground to white. Climber Vines on the terracotta would add to the tree and your home.. I would recommend you to hide the ugly cabling if you can do something about it :) Thanks Nitin Cornerstone Designs, Bangalore.