An ode to authenticity and sustainability in an experience garden with SeptimA clay pavers

Septima Onyx clay paver plays a central connecting role in luxurious garden

The Experience Garden, created by landscaping firm Tuinonderneming Ameloot and nominated for the Clay Paver Awards 2022-2023, is a showcase of craftsmanship and vision, with the SeptimA Onyx clay paver playing a central role in the design.

The client's original dream was a romantic garden in which flowers would take center stage. Over time, this idea evolved into a luxurious outdoor environment with a swimming pool, pool house, entrance area and even a sauna. To bring this diversity of functions into harmony, the designer opted resolutely for clay pavers, a material that convinces not only aesthetically but also technically.

The SeptimA Onyx is an unsanded, tumbled clay paver with a deep, dark tone that perfectly matches the project's mood board: reddish-brown bricks, blackened cedar wood, and an anthracite-coloured swimming pool. This paver carries a Class A rating, ensuring low water absorption and exceptional frost resistance. Thanks to its ECO-7 size and long lifespan, it is also an environmentally responsible choice. Its tumbled finish provides an authentic, weathered appearance, ideal for a garden meant to exude warmth and character.

Technology and creativity hand in hand

What makes this project truly distinctive is the refined processing of the clay pavers. A monolithic finish was deliberately chosen for the pool edge: the pavers are mitre-cut and glued so the end face remains visible throughout, while from a bird's-eye perspective, the lines continue seamlessly, avoiding the typical framed effect. This technique was extended to the steps and the plinth of the pool house, creating a sense of visual continuity. The terrace was likewise integrated into the whole, with organic openings planted with perennials, herbs and flower bulbs, establishing a subtle dialogue between paving and greenery.

Inside and outside flow seamlessly into one other: from the terrace to the pool house, and even into the wine cellar, where strips of clay pavers cover the cellar hatch. The cellar floor is likewise finished in clay pavers, bonded to a prefabricated substrate. In the final phase, the entrance and sauna were built on a plinth made from the same pavers, giving the whole a timeless appearance.

Sustainability as a common thread

According to the designer, clay pavers are sustainable by definition thanks to their user-friendliness and their ability to be reused when they are not grouted. “It is a durable product; even after many years, you can clean them to restore their original appearance. Moreover, the patina gets more beautiful by time”, says the designer. In addition, it is a locally sourced product, which significantly reduces its ecological footprint.

The Experience Garden by landscaping firm Ameloot demonstrates that aesthetics, technology, and sustainability can go hand in hand. For garden contractors and designers, this project is an inspiring example of how high-quality materials such as the SeptimA Onyx clay paver can transform an outdoor space into an experience garden par excellence.