If I were to win the lottery, I'd ask someone to recreate Oprah's teahouse in my make-believe acreage. It must be so heavenly to have a whole separate building to relax in, surrounded by greenery and stunning stonework.
Oprah has spoken quite a bit about her teahouse and outdoor living space on her blog, but something I noticed from the photos she's posted is just how lovely the paving ideas around its grounds are.
I spoke to a couple of landscaping experts to learn more about Oprah's paving choices, as well as what each design achieves. Here's what they had to say.
Natural Stone Flags
In the video clip above, Oprah can be seen walking across some tastefully but irregularly placed stone paving slabs spaced out on the grass.
As Oliver Burgess, director of Oliver Burgess Garden Design, explains, these slabs are known as flags and are often placed in this formation deliberately to create a less uniform look.
"Down the garden walking out from the terrace, we can see random lengths of natural stone flags," says Oliver.
"The stone of the garden path and garden walls matches the stone of the terrace, which keeps the palette calm and consistent."
I love the rustic feel of the tasteful irregularity, and how the stepping stones are all their own shape.
Stone Steps
Nothing says grand quite like stone steps. They lead up to the main interior of Oprah's teahouse, accompanied by a picturesque fountain.
The way the steps are all incredibly even, creating symmetrical lines, works to cultivate effortless fluidity in the design of the teahouse, which features wooden beams and stone columns of a similar straight-line silhouette.
The stonework on the edge of the steps crafts the perfect finish on the design too, capping the ends so they look complete.
Loose Paving
Oprah's teahouse also makes use of loose paving, most notably in the thick of her garden by a cluster of white rose bushes and a stone statue. It's contained neatly by sleek edging to keep everything in place off the grass.
Christopher DeFeo of DeFeo Materials identified the material as most likely being compacted crushed granite or a fine gravel mix.
"We see this type of crushed stone mix used quite often in exterior landscaping projects like Oprah's pathways," says Christopher.
"It’s far easier to maintain and removes concerns like the cracking you get with concrete. With proper edging like hers as well as occasional raking to keep everything even, it looks great."
Oliver also adds: "The loose gravel is permeable and soft underfoot, and acoustically 'crunchy', which is a well-loved feature of walks in the garden."
Shop Paving Essentials
New to paving and want to make a gravel walkway? A grid like this will help to ensure everything is neat, tidy, and even.
I love how these easy-use stepping stones use multiple colours of rock to create an intricate design.
As the nights are getting longer and damper, you may find it handy to line your pathways with some pretty lights. I love that these are solar-powered and that they look like lanterns.
