When you look through magazines for home inspiration, one thing creeps up on you fairly quickly. Yes, these homes are impressive. No doubt, they’re beautiful and expertly finished. Of course you’d be proud to live in them. But as well as that, they can be a little cookie-cutter from time to time.
Of course there is a reason for that. No one is in a hurry to stray from what works. Unless you’re going for a bespoke home to fit a very specific brief, individualizing too much isn’t going to go down too well. But with that said, is it really any harm to have a home and garden that captures the imagination?
Let’s draw a line here – a line between “cookie cutter home” and “stylized theme home.” The former could easily have been wrenched out of any magazine. It could have been beamed off of the set of any suburban drama or sitcom. The latter? Well, think “gingerbread house, ” and you’re not going far wrong.
Although you want your home to reflect you, you don’t want to go too far towards the “theme” end of that line. At the same time, do you really want that “could be anyone’s” look? Surely not. So what you need is one or two conversation pieces for the garden. Things that mark the home out as yours, without being garish and distracting.
A Stylish Water Feature
Bear in mind that size matters when it comes to garden water features. This isn’t a reminder to make it as large as possible; in fact, refinement is essential here. A huge water feature will not only mark the house out as yours. It will mark you out as the person with the water feature that everybody in the neighborhood hates.
Something smaller and quieter will give you the pleasant relaxation of running water in your garden. It will give you an ornamental piece that looks classy and individual. Most importantly, it will not give you water bills that are higher than the GDP of an entire continent. A themed piece can really underline your individuality while quietly adding value to your property.
A Themed Statue
Now, unless you have an ego the size of a planet and endless funds, we’re not talking about a statue of yourself. Self-confidence is wonderful, and personal style is an individual matter. But rendering yourself in bronze will certainly get your house talked about. People will say “Walk quickly past that house, they have a statue of themselves outside.”
A statue in your garden is an excellent conversation piece as long as it is well chosen. Something that reflects your interests is best. If you love dogs, a statue that shows that is a good choice (and may scare off burglars). If you’re into sports, reflect that with a statue – good examples can be found at https://atthetee.com/top-10-golf-statues/ and elsewhere.
An Ornate Birdhouse
One of the most rewarding aspects of having a house of your own is the wildlife that visits your garden. Perhaps it’s not so rewarding if it’s a neighbor’s pet who visits to use the bathroom. However, our feathered friends are always entertaining – and different foods can encourage different breeds.
Setting up a birdhouse ensures that you will have visitors every day, and the more specialized you make it the more time they will spend there. You can end up becoming quite an expert on the native birds in your area. You can start with a primer such as http://www.birdsandblooms.com/birding/birding-basics/common-birds-north-america/ and then observe from there.
It can also be a focus of conversation with friends and neighbors. You don’t want to go too elaborate with it, as it can overpower the rest of the garden. However, a well-thought-out birdhouse can provide fun and learning experiences for kids, as well as a relaxing view for you.
A Colorful Gravel Path
There are so many different options for a garden path, and making the right choice is simply a matter of picking the one you like best. Simple paving slabs are functional without being complicated. More ornate looks will cost a little more but can be beautiful. Another option you might like to try is a gravel path.
In short, there are a lot of different options for a gravel path in your garden. You can find rocks in several different colors, all of which can give your garden a splash of color. One word of advice is not to go for more than a couple of colors when picking gravel. From a distance, that ends up looking drab. A block of one or two colors is the way to go here.
The other key point to underline is that one or two of the above options will be more than sufficient. Any more than that and it becomes too busy, overpowering the house and garden. Knowing when to stop is as important as knowing where to start.