What’s a good product to replace the grass in my backyard?

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The question

I'm giving my backyard an end-of-season makeover and I'm done with grass. What's your favourite hardscaping material: stone, pavers, decking, gravel – or something else?"

The answer

With football season around the corner, why not bring on the Astroturf? I'm serious – this artificial grass is good-looking, a breeze to maintain and, if you're lucky, may even attract a few players. You can even kit it out, through the companies that install it, with a logo or slogan. Mine would read: "GPC" (Grass Permanently Cut). As for hard surfaces, I prefer (conversely) true stone, not fake pavers. In particular, I like to surround a garden with stone edging and I quite like a small white gravel infill that conjures up the English countryside. A great combo involves laying out 24-by-24-inch square stones in either a path or deck formation with about four inches of space between each. In that space goes, you guessed it, the Astroturf.

Architect and interior designer Dee Dee Taylor Eustace appears on The Real Designing Women, which airs Saturdays at 4 p.m. ET on HGTV. Follow her on Twitter: @ddtaylordd. Have a design dilemma? E-mail style@globeandmail.com.