27 Driveway Ideas for Every Style Home

Architect Stephanie D. Poole turned this driveway into a bocce ball court, combining fun and functionality. "It creates a usable recreation and social space in an otherwise passive space," she says. "The driveway is lined with an edible garden for color and interest. A trio of palm trees provide shade in the warmer months."

The details: If you love this idea and want to replicate it, take steps to keep the gravel in place. Poole needed to keep the original concrete strips of this driveway underneath the gravel and used "decomposed granite layers" to provide enough structural stability to not displace or rut over time. "A slow berm of permeable pavers at the driveway apron retains stormwater on the property and prevents it from washing away," she adds.

This driveway idea by Glengate Company, a fourth-generation family-owned landscaping company in Wilton, Connecticut, is part gravel, part bluestone, with latter used as the apron. Giving your driveway an apron can really elevate its look and help slow erosion, especially if it's made mostly of gravel.

The details: Besides looking pretty, driveway aprons can create a smoother transition from the road to your property. They also tend to have a slope to them, which can help improve drainage.

Another driveway idea for an elevated look is a Belgian block curb, like the one that borders this circular gravel driveway by Glengate Company. Belgian block is a generic term for large stones that are commonly used in landscaping. Lining your driveway with them is a great way to define its shape and add visual interest.

The details: Belgian blocks are extremely low maintenance, according to Purcell's Paving & Masonry. They can withstand a lot of wear and tear, and are extremely durable and easy to keep clean. The curbs will also act as a border to keep gravel where it belongs.

If you love the look of a Belgian block curb, take it a step further with a Belgian block apron. Though this one by Glengate Company isn't too large, it helps visually separate the two sections of the driveway, making the circular part look more integrated into the landscaping.

The details: Using Belgian blocks as a driveway apron can help contain gravel. A Belgian block apron needs to be constructed in three layers: a reinforced concrete base, a mortar bed, and mortar-jointed Belgian blocks on top, according to Fine Homebuilding.

Enthusiastic hosts need a big driveway. Ditch the standard, skinny drive-up and give your guests a wide, open place to park. This Glengate Company–designed driveway is made of asphalt with a Belgian block border, which helps elevate the look.

The details: Asphalt is extremely durable, but it does require some preventative maintenance to stay in tip-top shape. Wolf Paving highly recommends cleaning off any surface debris as well as oil and fuel, as those can cause the asphalt to deteriorate faster. You'll also likely need to reseal an asphalt driveway around every three to five years to help protect it from UV rays and various fluids.

Uniform sections of gravel and asphalt give this extra-long driveway by Glengate Company a more dynamic look than it would have if it were made of a single material. The stark contrast of the light gravel and dark asphalt looks appealing too. Plus, the boxwood hedge along the curve of the gravel is a beautiful way to add some more greenery and create privacy.

The details: Asphalt is more expensive to install than gravel, but gravel will likely need more maintenance than asphalt does, including shoring up the top layer every three to five years to make up for any erosion or fill any potholes. And remember, without a border between the gravel and asphalt or grass, the gravel is likely to migrate over time.

This driveway by Glengate Company is fitted with a custom front gate that has stone pillars with bluestone caps, creating an elegant and fairy-tale-like enclosure for a yard with old-growth trees. It ensures a beautiful entrance every time you drive up, not to mention extra privacy.

The details: Before installing a driveway gate, think through the practical elements. Is it going to be controlled electronically or manually? Will it have light fixtures on it? What direction will the gate swing? How secure do you want it to be from outsiders? You'll want to discuss the details with your contractor or architect.

This angular gravel driveway is the perfect complement to the modern house and garage. Glengate Company achieved the clean design by using Cor-Ten steel edging to hold the gravel in place and get a crisp line between the grass to gravel.

The details: Cor-Ten steel edging has to be hammered into the ground to stay in place. Even though it's thin, it's extremely strong and should hold its shape if it's installed correctly, according to Central Steel Service. It lasts a very long time and should keep other materials, like gravel in this case, from spreading.

If you want to add even more interest to your driveway, throw in a custom water feature. We love how it elevates the look of this gravel driveway by Glengate Company with a bluestone apron and Cor-Ten edging. The sound of trickling water is instantly relaxing.

The details: A water feature is an ideal way to boost your home's curb appeal, and it can even help with drainage. A landscape architect will be able to lead you in the right direction when it comes to what type of feature or fountain will be best for your property and your budget.

The landscape design surrounding this Glengate Company driveway has multiple tiers of flowering plants and greenery that give it an air of abundance. We love the pink flowers popping out above the stone retaining wall, and the stairs that lead through the garden and up onto the porch makes any entrance a grand one.

The details: A tiered driveway or one with a retaining wall can significantly increase your home's property value. It looks put-together and well-kept. However, you should know that it's also a very detail-oriented project that can be quite expensive. Structural integrity is of the utmost importance for safety reasons, so it'll need to be built on a solid foundation. It will also need proper drainage and to be able to withstand outward pressure, according to Angi.

This long gravel driveway has a skinny drainage grate to help control water and keep the landscaping looking manicured.

The details: Gravel driveways aren't as likely to need a separate drainage system as asphalt, brick, pavers, or other impermeable materials because gravel is porous, but sometimes the ground underneath just can't absorb the excess water from storms. In such cases, a drainage system is necessary to avoid flooding or any type of water buildup. The type of drain pictured here is a channel drain that should ideally move the water from the driveway to either side of the yard.

Concrete driveways collect oil stains. If you host a lot and love the look of a green garden, why not make your driveway look like a valet-ready country club with permeable stone pavers? This beautiful driveway by Hollander Design has us convinced.

The details: Permeable stone pavers with grass in between are a drivable surface that's porous for stormwater drainage and attractive. Consider using them wherever water tends to collect.

Mark D. Sikes designed the custom wrought-iron gate at the foot of the driveway to his 1920s West Hollywood home. We love the look of the ivy crawling up the post, which only adds to the charm of the brick paver driveway.

The details: Brick pavers are a great option for a more traditional, romantic, and lived-in look. They're more stain resistant than concrete and more abrasive, which makes them less slippery. Just make sure you use brick pavers instead of traditional clay bricks, which can't handle as much weight and won't last as long. There are also specific codes depending on your region's environmental challenges (looking at you, earthquakes).

The first tip we're picking up from this property by Charlotte Barnes is to invest in car as cool as this bright blue 1948 Jeepster, but we'll stick to driveway ideas for now. A border of brick pavers separates the gravel driveway from the garage to help keep maintenance manageable. Instead of gravel, you could use crushed oyster shells if you live in a coastal area (they're particularly popular in Cape Cod and other parts of New England).

The details: Aside from being pretty and on theme, oyster shell driveways have been used since colonial times as a way to recycled discarded shellfish. And they only get better with age: As you drive on them and break the shells into tinier pieces, they spread out into a more even, flat, and easy-to-walk-on surface. Oyster shells are also great for drainage since the space between them allows for rainwater to pass through and get absorbed by the ground.

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We're digging the geometric design of these permeable concrete pavers in front of a home by Studio Lifestyle. The seamless transition from the driveway to the walkway also creates such a cohesive facade, while the awnings soften the front of the house.

The details: So-called grass-jointed pavers are great at preventing flood damage, since they allow rainwater to infiltrate the ground. "Within driveways, we often use block pavers with a significant material thickness," landscape designer Douglas Clark explains. "The added thickness is essential for areas trafficked by cars and trucks. These blocks can be made of granite Belgian block cobbles or a prefabricated concrete aggregate block."

These multihued stone tiles reflect the home's charming exterior, from the shutters to the porte cochère. The greenery along the border only adds to the quaint, classic aesthetic.

The details: If you want something more natural-looking than concrete and less difficult to manage than gravel, consider stone tile. Cobblestone is actually more durable than concrete or brick pavers.

If your drive spills out onto a sidewalk, opt for pavers in a similar tone. This home by Jean Liu is extra cohesive: Its exterior features Texas Shellstone, while the driveway is made of limestone pavers and gravel that look seamless with the sidewalk. "The materials give it a sense of modernity," Liu says.

The details: If you opt for limestone pavers, keep in mind that the price tag will be steep due to the material and labor costs. That being said, they're beautiful and only look more so with age.

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In this country home by Hollander Designs, the gravel ground is broken up by a strip of greenery. Though simple, it brings the driveway to life. The look is called a ribbon driveway or sometimes a Hollywood driveway.

The details: The center grass strip can accommodate a small garden or strip of grass. Instead of sprinkling on grass seeds, Ed Hollander suggests laying down cut-​to-​fit sod: "Sod will establish more quickly and prevent any weeds from taking root," he explains, giving you the crisp line you want.

In a street-level city home, the driveway can take up a major portion of your property and play an outsized role its curb appeal. So instead of trying to make it disappear, why not make it pop even more? Here, Bay Area designer Dan Carlson of Wigglestem Gardens created a ribbon driveway with grass pavers and a strip of flowers is undeniably interesting. The modern frosted glass garage door and vining plants only add to the effect.

The details: A combination of succulents and herbs make this low-to-the-ground garden pretty low maintenance as well. The trick to making it work? The plants Carlson selected can't grow too tall, so they're perfect for this high-traffic zone.

There's nothing wrong with a classic concrete driveway. In fact, concrete can be the perfect fit for a modern home, like this one by Robson Rak. If your garage has an automatic door, skip hardware for clean, sleek exterior. Altogether, the driveway and garage will blending in nicely rather than dominating the view.

The details: You can use concrete pavers or pour concrete to get this look, whichever is best for your property. Concrete pavers don't require a curing period, give you more traction, and have a super-high PSI (meaning they can withstand a ton of pressure, i.e., from driving on them or pressure washing, which is partly why they're so common). The key to keeping them looking clean is maintenance, though tree roots and other natural causes can create cracks.