Stepping stones/path advice

[sweetmelody]

We are in the process of having our garden renovated. We have rather a lot paving (dictated by the fact we have a pool) but turf went down today and I am relieved that the garden is looking greener again.
My husband works from an office in the garden and he is in and out of the house a number of times during the day. So we need to spoil my lovely new lawn with a path so that he can get from the house, onto the new patio and across the lawn to his office.

I'm not overly keen on stepping stones but I want to avoid a solid looking path. Any design suggestions for how we connect the patio and the office? It will need to start below the pool steps because that area at the top of the step is too small to stay on comfortably (nearly fell in today!). Photos attached

I don’t know but I just wanted to say that your garden is lovely!

I changed stepping stones to a path. Stepping stones don't work very well because it's difficult to match with your stride, everyone's stride is different, and if you start off on the wrong foot you have to do a balletic entrechat in the air to right yourself. I've never looked back since we've had our path (Indian sandstone). I'd say go for it - otherwise, without either, you have a strip of mud to look forward to. Good luck, whatever you decide - and that's a lovely gaff you have there!

Oh thank you so much!! This is what it looked like before. Really pleased with how it’s looking so far. Let’s hope we have some money left for so planting …

Hahaha - my dad was saying the same thing about stones v path. But I’m worried about more stone - especially through my lovely new lawn. But I do need to think about what’s practical, especially since it will be used so much more than most garden paths. Thanks for commenting

We had stepping stones. Total pita. We have filled the gaps with cobbles.

I wish we'd had gone for an offset plank type path.

I'd be mindful of anything that gets slippy because of the pool.

You could use ai to generate some ideas for you to see what the options could look like? Also hexagons are IN (see the Chelsea flower show!).

No one is keen on stepping on stones! But how do offset planks solve this? Hexagons sound intriguing

I have a gravel path, which matches my slabs. You could do this in front of your new border on the right hand side and edge it in. Then you’d appreciate your new border plants and not cut into your beautiful new lawn. You’ve made a really good improvement already!

It doesn't look as if you don't have enough paving around the pool steps anyway.

Diagonal path from the area before the pool steps, with off-set pavers? The view of it will probably look worse from the upstairs window than from ground level.

We don't have a path and have a similar set up. Grass can handle it. You don't have to have anthing.

Shorter distance, but this is how we’ve connected steps to garden room. Just went for a pleasing pattern.

I have plank stepping stones in textured porcelain 90cm by 30cm with a 8 cm gap, they look fabulous - no worries about tread length - they swish up the garden in an offset manner with planting highlighting points along the way.

I would have filled in the space between the office and the pool with patio so you’ve got space for sun loungers/seating around the pool.

The whole space to the bottom of the pool (where you see the trampoline) is paved and will be for lounging and dining). We did consider what you suggest, but I couldn’t bear anymore paving and have been sooo anxious about what we’d already decided on until the turf went down - now I’m happy. The side of the pool next to the pool is just wide enough for a lounger and long enough for two, if we wanted two

Thanks to everyone for taking the time to comment and share their opinion. Made a decision and it’s being done today. As is often the case, it’s a compromise between the practical and the aesthetic.

Will post photos later

Whatever you do I’d put another border in by the summerhouse….lovely garden.

Thank you! Ooh another border? Where do you mean? Green building is an office, brown is a shed. Husband is going to knock down and rebuild shed as it isn’t in great shape. Front of new shed will be in line with the office and edged with the new path. Paved area at the back is on front of neighbour’s garage and will be where we put BBQ

Would you consider a pathway made from bark? Similar to the stuff you see in country parks. It will need topping up, and weeding, but will give quite a different atmosphere from a stone path (I love stone paths, but it seems you don’t!).

What about those mud grid things they use for horses with mud? You can get very "open weave" ones that grass would grow through maybe.

No idea if it would actually work but something like that so it's offering ground protection but not as visually intrusive as a path. I know they look @@ in the picture but it will be less obvious if it sinks into the earth and with grass round it and growing through it.

This kind of thing https://renocell.co.uk/product/eco-pave-equestrian-grids/

They may make non-horse type ones for the purpose you are looking for in a lawn?

I don’t know what happened to my post I typed!

I said I’d come back with the end result but they have only just been laid! They’re ok. They are very comfortable to walk across and are handy since we need to keep off the new turf. The landscaper initially cut the holes in the turf too big, which I was fuming about as we have been deliberating over these steps for weeks now, and we’ve had to patch up with strips of turf. Hopefully this won’t be visible once the turf takes root and has been mowed etc.
Main thing is that the view of them from my desk looks fine so they won’t annoy me!!

Looking good, sweetmelody. The turf-strips will soon bed in and be unnoticeable.