Enhance Your Yard and Garden

If you're the type 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.