Decorative Elements Add the Finishing Touch to Garden Rooms

When you’re renovating a home or starting a new build, decorative elements like paintings or a luxurious light fixture often put the finishing touch on the room. The same can be said when it comes to your outdoor living spaces. Deciding on the plants and layout is only half the fun when designing your garden! Selecting decorative elements to place among your landscape is a great way to add year-round contrast and color to the panorama, and it displays the harmonious relationship that can exist between organic and man-made elements.

Here are some design elements to keep in mind during your search for a garden sculpture that can take your green space to the next level:

• Location – Consider placing a sculpture in an area not already adorned by bright flowers, but where the sculpture will be a focal point. Don’t underestimate the impact of wall-mounted pieces or art that can be placed on or near a water feature, where the reflection and shadow will shift throughout the day, creating an ever-changing visual experience.
• Proportion – You’ll want to select the sculptures’ shape and size carefully to ensure it doesn’t detract from the beauty around it. However, this should still make a bold enough statement, so it’s not overlooked. Designer Jennifer Gilbert Asher suggests keeping art at eye-level, no matter what size you choose.
• Material – Since the piece will be outdoors, it should be constructed of weather-proof materials, such as steel, stone or bronze. These materials are lovely when illuminated by the sun, so consider placing sculptures where they will be in contact with sunlight, or consider placing a spotlight on it to create a focal point in the garden once the sun sets.

Here are a few examples of how sculptures and other decorative pieces can add interest and put the finishing touch on a garden room.

The sphere shape of this armillary attractively juxtaposes the square-edged shapes surrounding it.