What Is Leiden?

Welcome to Leiden: a beautiful city in the Netherlands that birthed the De Stijl (pronounced DUH-STYLE) modern art movement, which placed a high value on geometric patterns. It was this city—and the art movement behind it—that inspired our newest paving stone collection: Leiden.

De Stijl distilled design to the bare bones of form and color, minimizing their art to vertical and horizontal shapes, using only black, white, and primary colors. As you can see from these images, the De Stijl art movement bled into every aspect of Leiden’s architecture. 

As it so happens, one of the world’s most famous painters, Rembrandt, was born and educated in Leiden. He wasn’t the founder of the De Stijl movement, though. It was Theo van Doesburg (1883–1931) a Dutch artist and entrepreneur and whose claim-to-fame is the founding De Stijl.

We liked the name Leiden because it signifies the advancement of both art and architecture. That’s exactly what we’re hoping this new paving stone family does for you. We hope it elevates the visual beauty of your hardscape while, at the same time, reaffirming the care in which our paving stone products are made.

What makes Leiden different?

At Western Interlock, we value family. That’s why we’re an independently-owned, family-run business. You may be asking yourself, “What does a family have in common with Leiden?” Let me explain. 

Leiden is not a new mold of pavers for our catalog. Instead, we’ve brought five of our oldest, independent molds together and created a new paving stone family.

Leiden consists of Arena Stone, Plaza Stone, Park Stone, Holland Stone, and Half-Holland Stone. You could call Leiden a collection of paving stones. You could also call it a pattern if you want. However, we see this new offering as a family.

How can you use Leiden?

There are many ways you can use Leiden for your hardscape project. Below, we’ll show you a couple of ways others have used it to bring in a minimal, yet homey feel to their property. 

Paver patios

Quite a few DIYers and contractors have been installing Leiden as a paver patio. Since Leiden uses flat-top pavers, it makes any patio feel spacious and wide open. This benefit is unique because, no matter how large your actual patio is, it’ll feel more expansive.

Paver walkways

Many have been using Leiden for their paver walkways. At 60mm thick, these stones can withstand heavy foot traffic and even take a beating from a riding lawnmower. Plus, they make the walk to your car every morning visually pleasing.

Hardscape with Leiden

Here at Western Interlock, we’re on a mission to take the hard out of hardscaping. That’s why we publish DIY tips, tricks, and step-by-step tutorials at DIYwithWI.com and host a live DIY seminar every month during the summer at one of our manufacturing or distribution facilities.

If you have any questions, you can visit our Paving Stone Display at our Manufacturing Facility in Rickreall, OR. Alternatively, you can give our team of hardscape experts a call at 503-623-9084.