Farewell Solid Concrete Driveway: Boost Curb Appeal With A Fun Design

We may receive a commission on purchases made from links.

One of the best, most creative ways to increase your home's curb appeal is to revamp a concrete driveway with a few unexpected elements. Indeed, swapping a boring gray expanse for a fun design can work wonders. Rather than opting for full coverage and uniform slabs, one couple on TikTok showed off just how powerful mixing sizes, colors, and textures can be.

Blending practical with unconventional, the DIYers chose to lay down traditional rectangular panels on half of their driveway, thus maintaining easy access to the garage, while having fun with the other half. In addition to using concrete slabs in various lengths, they opted for a slightly darker hue than the rest of the driveway and left substantial space between each, which they then filled with greenery. While grass is always a safe choice, this is another opportunity to get creative and use a less common alternative, like dwarf carpet of stars (Ruschia lineolata 'Nana'), which can thrive between concrete blocks and requires minimal maintenance.

However, some uniformity is still necessary, so the design doesn't tip over into the chaotic. In order to strike that fine balance, use concrete slabs of equal height or, if you'd rather play with height, keep the length constant. Similarly, ensuring even spacing between the concrete pieces and aligning them on one edge can help ensure your front yard becomes the talk of the neighborhood for all the right reasons.

Concrete driveways are super popular for a reason — they're durable and low maintenance — but there's no denying they can be awfully boring. In order to create a clever driveway layout that's sure to boost curb appeal, start with different sizes of concrete panels, then further differentiate your design by adding color. Stains and dyes are a great way to achieve this on a budget, with products like Behr's decorative concrete stain ($40/gallon) available in myriad hues, from blue to gold. You can even make sure your bold, new driveway design looks dazzling by adding some sparkle grain that will shimmer like glitter.

Once the concrete is set, complete your unique design with a big dose of greenery. When choosing plants to fill in gaps between concrete slabs, make sure they can thrive in such a unique space. They'll need to have roots that won't cause damage to the concrete and also be able to grow in slightly alkaline soil because cement can leech lime, raising pH levels up to 7.5. Plant specialist Morris Hankinson recommends creeping thyme (Thymus), which can bring show-stopping pops of color to your driveway with its purple flowers. Other great options that will do well in between paving slabs include Alpine geranium (Erodium × variabile 'Roseum'), creeping Jenny (Lysimachia nummularia 'Aurea'), and Bluesylva forget-me-not (Myosotis sylvatica 'Bluesylva').