This is the second patio I have designed and built. I keep getting older, and they keep getting harder. Another designer assessed my concept drawing saying, “Putting square stones at a 45 degree angle from the straight edge wasn’t enough torture? You had to round the outside edge of the square stones! Being an artist, you wouldn’t want anything common and aim for the aesthetically beautiful.” And she’s right. Design is considered and thoughtful. A patio is space shared with the house and the yard and plantings and people. These all communicate with and influence one another, and a good design should listen to what they’re saying.