Garden Art Ideas
After furniture has been arranged in your outdoor living room, think about adding some finishing touches, like pottery and garden art. These accessories will help pull together everything and make your space look more appealing while emphasizing your particular style.
When choosing outdoor art, it's a good idea to look at your home's architectural style. If you have a cottage-style house, elements like repurposed vintage wooden birdhouses or painted iron animal statues would fit perfectly.
Pillows on outdoor couches or chairs might not be the first thing you think of when you consider adding art to your outdoor space. But what about the splashes of color they provide, not to mention interest? An outdoor living room set upholstered in beige or a muted green can instantly become a whole lot more interesting with a few carefully chosen patio pillows in brilliant blues, ravishing reds or electric oranges -- you get the picture.
Designers known for their fabulous outdoor prints and pillows include Trina Turk, Jonathan Adler, Marimekko, and, of course, Sunbrella. If you're ambitious, you can also whip together a few pillows on your own, in very little time. To get you started:
More »
Recycled objects that are weatherproof are perfect for backyards. Some of the best pieces of garden art come from ordinary objects that have been recycled, reused or repurposed. Breathe new life into an architectural relic or that old art-class bust that's been collecting dust bunnies in the back of your closet. Set outside amongst rocks, shrubs and flowers, these old objects can take on an entirely different light. Some ideas to consider:
Glass mosaic tiles can decorate anything from the walls and steps of a swimming pool to tabletops to stepping stones. Colorful glazed tile pieces were produced during various periods in U.S. ceramic tile history by all of the well-known pottery manufacturers from coast to coast. As part of the do-it-yourself boom during the post-World War II years, books like Sunset's (Lane Publishing) "Mosaics: Materials, Methods and Ways to Make & Use Mosaic Projects for House & Garden featured detailed instructions for creating all kinds of mosaic design projects for outdoors.
Like many trends, the popularity of mosaic tile tends to come and go. The smaller glass mosaic tiles have enjoyed a resurgence in recent years, especially those made from recycled glass.
Depending on their location, murals can be public or private works of art. A mural can be a colorful solution to an otherwise-drab concrete-block wall or plain wooden fence. It can also be positioned to block or screen an undesirable view. And, if done well, can be a lovely work of art for your garden or outdoor space.
Before you get too excited, most of the outdoor paintings are made expressly for the purpose of hanging outside, temporarily and preferably under cover.
When choosing outdoor art, it's a good idea to look at your home's architectural style. If you have a cottage-style house, elements like repurposed vintage wooden birdhouses or painted iron animal statues would fit perfectly.
•Fabric Pillows
Pillows on outdoor couches or chairs might not be the first thing you think of when you consider adding art to your outdoor space. But what about the splashes of color they provide, not to mention interest? An outdoor living room set upholstered in beige or a muted green can instantly become a whole lot more interesting with a few carefully chosen patio pillows in brilliant blues, ravishing reds or electric oranges -- you get the picture.
Designers known for their fabulous outdoor prints and pillows include Trina Turk, Jonathan Adler, Marimekko, and, of course, Sunbrella. If you're ambitious, you can also whip together a few pillows on your own, in very little time. To get you started:
More »
•Found Objects and Repurposed Art
Recycled objects that are weatherproof are perfect for backyards. Some of the best pieces of garden art come from ordinary objects that have been recycled, reused or repurposed. Breathe new life into an architectural relic or that old art-class bust that's been collecting dust bunnies in the back of your closet. Set outside amongst rocks, shrubs and flowers, these old objects can take on an entirely different light. Some ideas to consider:
- Colored glass bottles (water wine, soda), that can be used to make bottle trees. Popular in the Southern portion of the United States, bottle trees are said to capture evil spirits. Legend has it you can hear the spirits whistle when the wind blows through the bottles.
- Old windows and mirrors propped against a fence or within the makeshift walls of an outdoor room.
- Old cars and trucks.
- Iron headboards or bed frames propped against a fence or wall, serving as a vine-training trellis.
- Old farm or industrial fixtures or equipment.
- Architectural salvage of almost any kind, provided it goes with the home's architecture or landscape design theme.
•Fountains and Water Features
The trickling sound of water from a fountain adds a sensory element to your garden -- it's appealing to look at, listen to and touch. Fountains have been a part of gardens as long as there have been private gardens. In other words -- forever.More »
•Garden Ornaments
Ornaments in the garden imply an orb-shaped object, perhaps a Victorian gazing ball or blown-glass spheres floating in a pond or pool. But garden ornaments can include wind chimes, hanging ornaments from bare tree branches or anything shiny, pretty and decorative that doesn't fit into any of these other artistic categories.•Gnomes and Other Garden Creatures
Garden gnomes have a cult-like following, with books and websites devoted to the odd little men who guard the garden.More »
•Mosaic and Tile
Glass mosaic tiles can decorate anything from the walls and steps of a swimming pool to tabletops to stepping stones. Colorful glazed tile pieces were produced during various periods in U.S. ceramic tile history by all of the well-known pottery manufacturers from coast to coast. As part of the do-it-yourself boom during the post-World War II years, books like Sunset's (Lane Publishing) "Mosaics: Materials, Methods and Ways to Make & Use Mosaic Projects for House & Garden featured detailed instructions for creating all kinds of mosaic design projects for outdoors.
Like many trends, the popularity of mosaic tile tends to come and go. The smaller glass mosaic tiles have enjoyed a resurgence in recent years, especially those made from recycled glass.
•Murals
Depending on their location, murals can be public or private works of art. A mural can be a colorful solution to an otherwise-drab concrete-block wall or plain wooden fence. It can also be positioned to block or screen an undesirable view. And, if done well, can be a lovely work of art for your garden or outdoor space.
•Outdoor Paintings
What would a museum curator think about the concept of hanging a painting outside? Why, preposterous, downright disrespectful, impossible and utterly forbidden. Yet, in recent years, I know I've seen a few works of art -- on canvas, natch -- hanging on the walls of an outdoor room or some sort of outdoor structure. What's up with that? Some kind of new weatherproof, anti-UV polyurethane spray for your faux Van Gogh?Before you get too excited, most of the outdoor paintings are made expressly for the purpose of hanging outside, temporarily and preferably under cover.
•Outdoor Sculpture
From Greek gods and goddesses to smaller versions of Henry Moore public art masterpieces, sculpture has always been at home in a garden -- throughout the world. Garden sculpture can be anything from ceramic bunny rabbitsand geese frolicking in the grass to wood-carved tiki totems that guard the pool.
Source...