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Enhance Your Yard and Garden

11 Nov 2009 by NR

If you’re the type of person who enjoys a distinctive ambiance enlivened by the sights and sounds of nature, you can add outdoor accessories like planters, birdhouses, fountains, statues, trellises and arbors, to name some. If lush greenery characterizes your yard, art in form of curios and antiques – like a carved wooden bench – or ancient plaster masks accenting a column of a trellis which may have a mobile of painted birds hanging overhead can look alluring and inspiring.

Though metal yard art is best appreciated when it flourishes as a result of an individual’s own creative efforts, it should not be overdone. When setting out to improve your backyard, an effective approach is to create a mental picture of how to divide the yard into separate activity areas.

Outdoor furnishings may help distinguish the different activities areas in an artistic, tasteful manner. A nice outdoor swing or patio set in a quiet corner of the garden may be ideal for relaxation. Carefully placed trees, flower beds or potted plants may define each border.

Have an average-sized yard and feel like there’s a missing element? A small water feature can have a big impact. A pond, fountain, or waterfall can enhance the natural charm and tranquility of an outdoor area, no matter how modest it is in size. Imagine, for example, water cascading down from small scalloped structures into a blue-rimmed mini pool bedecked with flowers.

In certain cases, a landscape architect can help transform your home into a dreamy and delightful private sanctuary. Small cobblestones can lead to large rock steps connecting the garden to the house. A budding tree, or a statue or bird feeder, a hand cast & hand-painted gnome, or an antique wooden bench may serve as yard/garden centerpiece. For an elegant looking table & chair set, a special vase with intriguing design can be a conversational piece.

Your architect will help you in ensuring that the artistic touches incorporated in your outdoor complement your home’s design. If you have a zen-inspired house facade, you may combine natural materials, cool colors and clean composition/design. Have all the key elements for outdoor relaxation and meditation — a low table, all-weather pillow cushions, a hand-woven tatami mat. A small zen-inspired fountain and wind chimes may provide subtle yet soothing sounds.

Natural materials like bamboo, stone, earthenware, wood and metals are ideal for furnishings and accents. Beautiful metal yard art or figurines featuring fairies, gnomes or animals can be really cool ideas.

-Shirely Patterson

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Selecting Metal Yard Art

11 Nov 2009 by NR
The first thing to ask yourself is what colors do you like?  You may prefer bright colors as this will add more accent to your yard.  It will also add stimulating ornamentation to your garden and make it come to life.  You may also choose colors that come in natural rustic colors or those that are painted to mimic silhouettes.When it comes to style, you may choose between formal and informal styles.  Those who like a more formal look may tend to select materials that have been manufactured and given a proper finish.  However, if your the type of person that prefers your yard to look a little bit more unique, then you may want to go with an informal style.  For this type, you can use recycled materials pieced together to create your signature yard look.There is also a type of metal yard art called ‘copper art’.  Copper is used in order to utilize the sunlight’s brilliant effect, adding more radiance to your right.

The most popular designs seem to be small animals and insects. Their small sizes can serve to give an ‘accent’ to your yard and yet not draw to much attention from the yards natural beauty.  There are also other designs such as copper bird feeders whose designs are combined with stained glass,  creating bright ornamentation for your yard.

In addition to these, copper stakes and other cast pieces are also available for decorating your yard.  One of the down sides with going with copper yard art is that it can be a bit expensive.  But it may turn out to be worth it once you see the overall effect that it has on your yard.

Whats most  important is to really take into consideration your personal taste when it comes to metal yard art. Metal yard art is one avenue where you can let your personality flow.  Always trust with what you feel is best and what you think will suit your yard well.  And, just enjoy the whole process of decorating your own yard with metal yard art.

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