Treasure Hill Cottage

Support structures such as trellises and lattices, gates, benches and stone walls provide definition for your garden. And although there are no strict rules for selecting and employing the components of your garden’s decor, these are a few hints for trying out different scenarios:

When arranging your beds of flowers and borders, keep garden accessories in mind. Will your stone bench work better in the middle of your beds of roses or under an aging tree? Should you buy an antique watering can to accent your wildflower garden? Taking the time to choose and properly placing an object, can avoid having it look as it if was placed randomly in the garden.

Create focal points by placing decorative elements or functional pieces where garden paths naturally conjoin or in areas where they are a good fit: A frog statue looks great by a pond. Not on the edge of a patio. Birdbaths and birdfeeders can fit into several different arenas, but benches and other garden seating work best when placed in a comfortable, shady area with a wonderful view.

Remember that it’s probably a better idea to use just a couple of large and themed decor objects (such as a statue, fountain, sundial, stone benches) rather than a large number of smaller garden objects spread all over the place. Keep both the size of your garden and plants in proportion with the chosen objects.

Upgrading your garden from average to breathtaking is a matter of trying and (probably) re-trying. It’s probably fair to say some re-arranging will be involved. Think and plan, but don’t waste too many hours on it. There comes a point when you just have to get out there and get your hands dirty.

From the age of five-years-old I have dreamed of being a vampire princess and living in an ancient-style castle. Of course my parent’s home was just a simple two-story ranch home like most built in California at the time. When I started my pretending, I would turn off all the lights and imagine my bed was my coffin and light a few candles to complete the affect.

Now that I am an adult, I have tried to create an underworld affect in my own home and it has worked beautifully. No longer do I pretend my bed is a coffin, but I did buy candle wall sconces to create that ghostly lighting effect. Now I can invite my friends over to play roll playing games whenever I like.

There is no limit to the added beauty and relaxing powers of an avid garden decor. A terrace nested in fieldstone that borders a cultivated garden; a footpath created of old brick that meanders between beds of flowers emphasized by elegant garden statuary; a summerhouse that anchors the center of a number of conventional flowerbeds - all these and several more decorative refinements can and will upgrade your garden from average to breathtaking!

Strategically based garden lighting for example can bring your landscaping to life and make your evenings last longer. Consider bright strings of lights woven through the branches of trees to create a fantasy world feel or pathway solar lights shaped like lanterns to lend an Asian affect.

Garden furniture can be an enormous component in garden decor design.  Consider the different directions in which the silvery, raw tones of weather-beaten teakwood benches or how a span of red Adirondack chairs would affect the visual composition of your garden. Accessories are crucial, too: integrating stone or alloy statuary, wind bells, birdbaths and bird feeders into your garden design will give it an extremely personalized spirit.

When it comes to great home decorating ideas, it is important to remember that decorating isn’t just about the inside of your home. In fact, if you want to create a well-rounded and attractive look for your home, you need to be certain to turn your attention to the outdoors as well.

There are many things you can do to the outside of your home to help improve its look and to express your personal style. The easiest home decorating ideas that you can use outdoors include placing a flower box on your window sill or adding shutters to either side of the window. Both of these ideas are simple to install, are fairly inexpensive, and go a long way toward sprucing up the outside of your home.

Make your home more inviting to your guests, by placing a welcome mat or arrow sign outside your entryway.  Spending a little time and money getting this outside area of your home beautiful and attractive is time well spent.

Wash, scrub, or repaint the front door so that it shines. Replace the door handle if it is worn and unattractive. Clean any windows in this area until they shine. Add a topiary or planter for a touch of green. Put an attractive wreath on the door. Stand outside and look into your entry area. It will be the first thing guests see of the inside of your house. Is it friendly, spotless, organized?

Just as you might accessorize the inside of your home, you should accessorize the outside as well. Adding a perennial garden or a few landscaping elements will increase the value of your home while making it look great. If you don’t have enough time for gardening, however, you might want to consider adding statuary or other lawn ornaments to your yard. As with all home decorating ideas, however, don’t go overboard - a cluttered lawn is even more unattractive than an empty one!

Decorating small spaces requires thought and imagination in order to get the most out of them. The objective in decorating smaller places is normally to make them appear larger. There are several ways to achieve this illusion.

Keep it simple silly (KISS). The more simple the decoration is kept the fewer items you have filling the space in the room or apartment. Crowding will make you feel suffocated and lose the effect you were trying to create.

Mirrors are excellent at giving off the illusion of larger space. You have the option of several small staggered mirrors, larger panel mirrors or one large well-placed mirror. These will reflect not only the furnishings depending on where they are placed but the open space as well.
 
Colors should be subtle and not too bold; bold colors should be limited to a few pillows and maybe a throw but not the entire furniture selection.

Pictures are great for decorating. Whether they are family photos or prints of things that you find interesting, prints and photos will add to the look of the room.
 
Smaller furniture is ideal for the smaller spaces. Exposed legs are best for small spaces as they give the illusion of more space. The furniture should be arranged so that it doesn’t interfere with where you are walking in the room.
 
Lamps should be utilized, whether it is a table lamp or a free standing lamp. Lights used in the ceiling will make the ceiling look lower. Natural light should be utilized whenever possible. Light colored curtains that allow for the light to come through will give the illusion of more space.

I have always wanted my garden to be the focal point of my back yard. In addition to lush greenery and blooming flowers, I would like to have some outdoor art to entertain guest, in my quest to find the perfect pieces of garden art, I was lead to an online store that specialized in this area.

I was impressed by the wide array of garden statues the online store had available. I decided to two stone pieces that were intricately carved and looked very expensive. This would be a sure fire way to impress my guests.