Issue link: http://digital.canadawide.com/i/1385297
J U N E 2 0 2 1 | 17 Landscape Products Landscaping products bring beauty and serenity to outdoor spaces by ROBIN BRUNET I t's hardly a secret: throughout 2020, people forced to stay home due to the government lockdowns embraced home improvement to relieve their boredom – and anyone associated with landscaping products and services enjoyed a windfall of business. Now, as things move slowly back to normal, the focus on landscaping continues unabated. "Last year's demand for hardscapes was so incredible our distributors could not keep our products on their shelves," says Kathy Granger, marketing director at Keystone Hardscapes. "This year is following the same trajectory, as homeowners seek to make their outdoor spaces an extension of their indoor dwellings, and commercial and industrial developers realize the benefits of landscape design to their facilities." Regardless of the client or venue, a design trend seems to be emerging. "Many clients are seeking a linear, contemporary look with monochromatic colours," says Granger. "Patterns created using alternating scale, colours and/or textures are also in demand. The effect is quite striking." The contemporary esthetic is evident in many Keystone products, including CityStone pavers. The CityStone series creates a clean and urbane look through minimalist detailing: surfaces are smooth and planar, edges are microchamfered, and joints are tight. Designers can create a nearly textureless pavement that draws attention to colour patterns, monochromatic blends, and monolithic fields; delivering crisp contemporary lines with maximum installation efficiencies. Of course, Keystone provides a variety of appearances – in addition to con- temporary – to suit different needs, and this is most evident in its wall systems, of which the Keystone Compac has become a trusted favourite of specifiers and installers. The Keystone Compac provides a near-vertical and pinned SRW solu- tion and includes a comprehensive assortment of face styles to satisfy virtually any structural or esthetic requirement. Keystone's wall solutions cover residential to structural design needs and include Stonegate, Legacy Stone, Harington, and Keystone Standard options; pavers range from the modular Panorama paver series (ideal for residential or commercial projects); to permeable systems such as Eco-CityLock. Many of Keystone's wall systems are able to facilitate the creation of fire pits, fireplaces, and water features. Ironically, Keystone was so busy last year scrambling to accommodate the demands of homebound consumers that it delayed the launch of some of its new products to 2021. "Typically we would have come out with new products in the fall, but everything flowed a bit differently in 2020," says Granger. "However, this year we have several new exciting offerings in the queue." Creating The Ultimate Getaway Stonegate wall system from Keystone Hardscapes.