Pavers and paving materials establish a floor for your outdoor room. Here pavers introduce color and texture to a courtyard. Try to limit the material palette. "Create unity through repetition of similar materials," California landscape architect Jim Caitlin says. "If you get too complex in a small area you can create a disharmony." In this outdoor meditation room, creeping thyme forms a soft outline for the smooth stone pavers set in a simple grid pattern.

Look closely! Thanks to Virginia creeper climbing on a lattice support, no one has to look at unsightly utilities in the corner of this outdoor room.

Click here to see more ideas for combining pavers and plants.