Possibly the only thing better than having a beautiful garden is being able to proudly show it off to friends and family while at the same time making your nosy neighbors super jealous of your agricultural prowess.
You’ve got your herb garden, your delicately orchestrated flower bed, and enough vegetables growing to feed a small country, but what you really need is some solid ideas on how to make them ‘pop’, ‘buzz’, ‘jazz’, and other buzzwords that mean little but convey a general sense of goodness.
So here are some great ways to use art and feature walls to turn your garden from drab to at least chic drab, but hopefully all the way to worthy of praise.
Garden Ornaments And Artwork
While the uninitiated may gaze upon a bed of flowers and render a tactful response about them “just being flowers”, you can ensure that even floricultural plebeians are floored by your effort when your beautiful array of orchids is complemented with an equally stunning and eye-catching sculpture, water feature, rustic iron windmill, or even the humble garden gnome…you know, if you’re into that.
Weatherproofing
When looking for your artwork ensure that it can handle the weather it will be exposed to. For example, perhaps your delicately sewn Faberge egg collection doesn’t belong in the yard with the cucumbers and your hungry border collie? Instead, look for woods that are sealed and won’t rot or warp due to the moisture they’ll endure.
If the artwork is painted then make sure it’s been colored with outdoor paints as not to introduce cracking and make your favorite gnome look like a terminator gnome with one half of its face normal, the other half left with its concrete endoskeleton exposed.
Form & Function
If you have climbers and vines in the garden, then you can use a decorative lattice or similar ornamental coverings for your garden wall. The synthesis of design and practicality would make Martha Stewart proud.
Feature Walls
Next up is a feature wall. Normally reserved for indoors, and breaking up your dark grey color scheme that you convince yourself is in fashion every year, with super splashes of color is a great way to make a room feel lively and a bit edgy (yeah, I said it).
Just like indoors, an outdoor feature wall can be a spectacle of your garden and you’re really only limited by your imagination (unless you’re the aforementioned dark grey color scheme crowd…then your limitations may be in greater numbers).
Be Bold With Colors
Let’s start with the obvious which is colors. The basic rule of an outdoor feature wall is to paint it a ridiculously contrasting color. Given the warm earthy tones of browns and greens that you find in the garden, a luminous yellow, bubblegum pink, a sharp red, or an orange worthy of a teenage mutant ninja turtles headband are all fantastic options.
Be bold and display colors that scream for attention like an infant woefully dismayed at the length of time they’ve currently spent at the supermarket.
Add Lighting
If you’re not super jazzed with the color thing (looking at you dark grey fans) then there are many ways to create a feature wall without painting the entire wall. One great example is lights.
Some wall companies allow electrical channels to be cascaded through their wall panels. That way you can add light fixtures directly to the walls themselves, hide the cables, and have a clean look with a spotlight aimed at your prized hibiscus.
Hanging Artwork & Sculptures
Furthermore, you could add hanging artwork, either paintings or photos in a sturdy weatherproof frame or a metal or wooden piece of art that both draws attention to the area you wish and blends smoothly in with the natural surroundings all in one.
Thai, Japanese, and other Asian art make for stunning centerpieces due to their ornate woodwork and gorgeous detail that adorns every fiber.
Stone, Brick & Wood
Finally, a feature wall can be created by using different stone, brick, or wood than exists normally on the wall. Think chic New York loft, or warehouses that have been converted into homes.
If you’re into this style and looking for a touch of class, it’s hard to see past the timeless elegance of smooth black cobblestone, or beautifully finished wood paneling. It effortlessly intertwines with the outdoors and creates yet another texture to explore in your garden.
Applying any of these ideas can help you to create a garden space that truly stands out. So be sure to consider them for your next outdoor upgrade.
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