Tag Archives: art

How to Decorate Your Garden with a Simple Japanese Pool

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A simple Japanese polis easy to create both indoors and out. If you live in a hot climate you can have a pond going in your back yard all year.
The size of the pond that you create in your garden depends on your budget, availability of materials, drainage methods and filtration requirements. However, fortunately there are no hard or fast rules for pond construction.

Buying a premade plastic tub that is set into the ground is the simplest way to create your own pond. These can occasionally be dumped out and refilled with water from a garden hose. Larger ponds are more complex both in terms of construction and maintenance and involve the use of such devices as drains filters, pumps. skimmers and anti-float devices.

Before you construct a pond, you might want to take into account that they can be very high maintenance. They can become fetid and odorous and attract a lot of mosquitoes. They can also attract animals such as raccoons, rats and opossums. The koi fish in these ponds can also be easy prey for birds and animals and larger ponds may present a safety hazard to children in the neighborhood.

The smallest of ponds can be constructed out of plastic tubs. These tubs are usually molded in irregular shapes. If the pond is over eight feet in length it is recommended that it be lined with black polyethylene sheets to slow the leakage of pond water into the ground. If you want to build a pond that is over fifteen feet in place then it is recommended that a professional construct it.

Ferns are especially effective for providing attractive coverage at the water’s edge. Ferns also naturally serve to stabilize the muddy edge of the pond while at the same time presenting a striking display of foliage.

Water plants such as the Japanese Iris and the lotus can be used to disguise equipment such as pumps and floating devices. Clumps of iris can also prevent the banks of your pond from eroding. Lily pads can protect fish and other wild life in your pond from being preyed upon by birds and other creatures.
One of the simplest of these pools is a reflecting pool. The purpose of a reflecting pool is exactly what is implied by its name. These pools of standing water are used to reflect the arms of trees and other attributes of the garden. The Japanese particularly revere this effect. In traditional Japanese gardens this form of mirrored asymmetry is capitalized on wherever possible.

Reflecting pools are often irregular in shape and surrounded by circular garden paths. Thesis paths also possess many resting-places so that the visitor to the garden can contemplate the shimmering reflections in the water.

Decorating Drawers With Novelty Pulls and Knobs

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Bored with the usual brass knobs and anodized aluminum cabinet pulls that you find on most cabinets? Fortunately the newest trends in cabinet fixtures are far from boring and not only that, they can help transform even the dullest looking set of drawers from Ikea into a personalized style statement.

Perhaps the most expansive trend in cabinet and drawer pulls are the novelty pulls. These handles are made in a variety of materials including aluminum, bronze, solid granite, sand granite, crystal and of course plastic.

One of the most popular new types of pulls are the Euro-Design aluminum fixtures, which greatly compliment the sleek, spare interiors of a condo. These streamlined fixtures are anodized to give them a slightly burnished appearance. These pulls compliment Swedish and Modern interior decoration as well as Industrial fashion themes. Common are pulls that look like T-bars, wedges or simple arches. These types of pulls also come in different colors such as gold or bronze.

Another trend that is suited to the clean look of a condo are the new granite pulls. Made of real granite and stone these pulls come in the colors of the earth and greatly compliment a home that is modernistic, Japanese or Mediterranean in design.

If you are trying to reinvent the history of a home you might opt for bronze or cast iron pulls. Many companies that specialize in reproductions are recasting bronze pulls from models that are centuries old. This can give your home a Victorian, Renaissance, Gothic or even medieval feel. Often these fixtures will boast affectations such as hinged pulls and fake keyholes.

If classic Victorian charm is what you are looking for than many companies are manufacturing miniature glass rosettes in just about every color of the rainbow. You can also buy anodized aluminum pulls that are made to mimic the fairy, flora and fauna designs from the Arts and Crafts Era. Perhaps the easiest way to decide what type of cabinet pulls are best for you is to make a firm decision about what is most important to you: your taste or your sense of humor. If you are lucky you should be able to replace those boring old brass knobs (with the rosette on the end) with a novelty fixture that combines both humor and fashion.

Also of great visual interest is the large assortment of plastic novelty knobs that are available on the market. Now any piece of furniture can be enlivened by the addition of a bright, durable knob manufactured in just about any color or shape (animal, vegetable or mineral) that you can think of. When it comes to decorative cabinet knobs it seems that there is no limit to manufacturer’s imagination nor should there be to yours.