News — outdoor decor

Top 5 Fountains for Animal Lovers

It is a well-known fact that most animals love water. Dogs enjoy playing in fountains, and cats prefer to watch it from a distance. However, humans are also known to enjoy fountains – particularly animals are included in the design. Fountains come in all shapes and sizes, and some appeal more to animal lovers than others. The great thing about fountains is that they look fantastic for humans to enjoy as well! If you are looking at installing a fountain in your yard, there are different models for you to consider. The top 5 fountains for animal lovers are listed below.

Frog Plinth Water Feature Fountain

This water feature has a frog statue pouring water from its mouth into a stone basin. This particular model of fountain is set directly on the ground, so it is quite low. The frog statue is a realistic representation of nature. If you like amphibians, you will enjoy the view of this quaint fountain. Read more about this fountain here.

Paradiso Garden Water Fountain

This is a great fountain for animal lovers, because it also attracts real birds to your yard. There are stone figures of two birds nuzzling together on the side of the basin. The basin is high enough that birds will be enticed to use it as a birdbath. Information about this model can be found here.

Bear Family Cascading Water Fountain

If you love wild animals, this fountain might be a good fit for you! The fountain displays a cute family of bears at the peak of the structure. There is a mother bear who has her paws wrapped around her two small cubs. There is a two tier basin, so the water has a good distance to travel. This fountain deserves a peak from you! You can view this fountain in our animal outdoor fountain collection.

Dolphins Garden Water Fountain

This fountain has a simple dolphin figure in the center. Below is a round basin to catch the water that flows from the dolphin’s blowholes. The dolphin has the appearance of leaping playfully out of the fountain. This model can be found here.

If you enjoy fountains and animals, why not combine them? Having a fountain with animal forms is sure to give you enjoyment every time you look at it or happen to hear the water splashing.   

Overhaul Your Neglected Backyard



Everyone knows that life can get pretty busy sometimes. Between work, family, and hobbies, it is a wonder if you get any time to spend on fixing up your home. Backyards are usually the first area that starts to look lackluster. People simply do not have an abundance of time to make their yards look perfect. However, there are several tips that you can try to spruce up the yard a bit more. Backyards thrive with a bit of love and care, and they can look great again!

Plant a garden

Having a garden can be one of the easiest ways to overhaul your backyard. Not only does it provide you flowers and vegetables, it can become a great hobby for you! Herb and vegetable gardens are particularly popular because they can provide cooking ingredients for you. If you do not have a large yard, you can experiment with different plants and arrangements. For instance, you could have flowers that grow upright on vines. Or you could use flower pots instead of a traditional plot of land.

Add a playground

Even if you do not have children yourself, you might still have young ones who visit your home. They might be the children of family or friends, and could even be children in the neighborhood. Having a playground in the yard gives them a chance to play and let off steam. They have a safe place to be where adults can be around to supervise them. If there is a playground in your yard, it will instantly give off a different vibe. The backyard will become a lively and interesting place, where people want to be.

Incorporate an outdoor fountain

Outdoor fountains are a classy feature that will add a sense of elegance to your backyard. Fountains are typically shaped into interesting sculptures, and they improve the landscape design of your backyard. The running water provides a calming atmosphere, so that you can just sit outside and relax. This is a good addition to a backyard, because they are a convenient place for you to go after work. Fountains can also include features such as music and colorful lights. There is such a variety in the design of outdoor fountains, that you can practically customize your own.

Just because your backyard is not feeling the love right now, does not mean that it has to stay that way. Neglected backyards will be a thing of the past! A few design changes will make your backyard comfortable and inviting. Friends and family will be able to gather there with you. It will be a place where people want to be, instead of a place where they want to avoid.  

Outdoor Fountains and Art

There are few more things more soothing than the sound of moving water. That is one of the reasons that we enjoy fountains so much. Outdoor fountains are beautiful sculptures that provide the relaxing sound. Outdoor fountains are works of art, and should be appreciated as such. Several outdoor art pieces are also fountains, and we will be discussing these more in detail.   

Delphi Fountain

This outdoor fountain is a part of the Campania collection. It is an outdoor fountain with an intriguing design. There are two risers that support the basin in the middle. When water flows out the top of the basin, it makes its way down the two risers. There is another, larger basin at the bottom to catch the water as it falls. This is a modern looking piece of art, which can be placed in a backyard of any size.

Massarelli Guitar Fountain

This unique piece is a Massarelli product. Constructed with a figure of an acoustic guitar in the center, it appeals to music lovers of all ages. The guitar is positioned on top of a simple pedestal bowl. Instead of sound coming from the music hole of the guitar, water flows through. The water falls through to the basin beneath. There are also lights on this fountain that operate underwater. They light up to enhance the look of this modern piece of artwork.

Low Hourglass Fountain

This is a piece that was created by Henri Studio, which is located in Chicago. The fountain is small in size, making it popular for modest gardens. The figure in the fountain resembles a common hourglass. The water will bubble at the top, and make its way down into the basin below. The fountain is designed to have a minimal splashing effect.

Disappearing Leaf Sculpture Fountain

Another example of the Campania collection would be the Disappearing Leaf Sculpture fountain. The fountain is fairly low to the ground. There is a round basin, covered in pebbles. On top of the pebbles are several stone leaves. The water will flow up the middle of the leaves, and then retreat down the sides. The water then disappears into an unseen reservoir. This fountain encompasses the natural feeling of water flowing smoothly over rocks and pebbles.

A fountain is not just a fountain; it can be so much more than that. An outdoor fountain is a form of art. They have been expertly designed and crafted into intriguing models for us to enjoy. A lot of hard work and time will go into every outdoor fountain that is created. Then they are transported to us, where we can place them in our backyards and enjoy them.

The Buckingham Fountain

One of the largest and most recognized fountains in America is located in Chicago. It is called the Clarence Buckingham Memorial Fountain, or the Buckingham Fountain for short. What makes this fountain stand out from the rest? Why is it so special? Read on to find out!

Appearance

The fountain is very large, as it rises more than 7 meters (23 feet) into the air. Its very large appearance is what makes it so well-known to tourists. There are three basins that the water flows into. Within the basins, there are four pairs of bronze seahorses. The seahorse pairs are representative of each of the four states that surround Lake Michigan, while the large basin represents the actual lake. 

Where is it located?

This particular fountain can be found in the very center of Grant Park. The park is located at Columbus Drive and Congress Parkway in Chicago. It is in operation from early April until approximately mid-October, depending on the weather. From 8am until 11pm, the fountain is on and functioning.

Water display

The Buckingham Fountain attracts visitors to the park by its fascinating water display. Every hour, the water show will last for 20 minutes. Small sprays of water turn into higher and higher jet streams. The central jet will spray water up to 46 meters high. After dusk, the fountain becomes even more interesting. Colorful lights and music are added to the water show. For many years, the water flow was operated manually by engineers with alternating shifts. 1980 was the first year that the water became automated.   

Significance of the name

The funds to create the fountain were donated by Kate Buckingham in honor of her brother, Clarence. She was an art patron and philanthropist who was well-known in Chicago. Kate and Clarence were both lovers of art. They would collect pieces of art, and donate money towards preserving artifacts. In the mid-1920s, Kate was the last remaining member of the Buckingham family. She decided to commemorate her brother’s love for art by initiating a fountain to be built in his name.     

Who built the fountain?

The designer of the fountain was a man named Edward H. Bennett. He had a good reputation in the art of design and sculptures. He had worked alongside others to create the Michigan Avenue Bridge. Edward worked alongside a French sculptor called Marcel Loyau and an engineer named Jacques H. Lambert on the Buckingham Fountain. To make the figures look more realistic, Marcel spent a great deal of time studying a collection of seahorses at an institution in Paris. Together, a small group of people worked hard to create a monumental fountain that is still in operation today.   

Creating Your Outdoor Oasis

It is great when we get the chance to leave our everyday routines and go away on vacation. What’s not to love about relaxing in the warm sun by a pool? However, we all know that vacations cannot last forever, and we will be coming home eventually. But what is stopping you from bringing the vacation to you? Turn your backyard into the ultimate outdoor oasis, where you are free to enjoy it whenever you like!

Spruce up the patio

Give the patio a little extra kick by adding some final touches to it. Create a seating area with couches and throw pillows. Make it a comfortable and welcoming space for everyone to gather around in.

Add an outdoor cooking area

Many people enjoy cooking food outside once in a while, so why not include a barbecue on your deck? Whether you or your partner likes to do the cooking, a BBQ dinner is sure to entice the entire family.

Install an outdoor fountain

Having something beautiful to look at will make your oasis feel more complete. An outdoor fountain can be designed to your preference, and can have a cool water display. The sound of water flowing is sure to calm and relax you as you sit outside.

Create shade

If your backyard does not have many trees, it may be hard for you to find relief from the sun. Set up an awning over your patio if you want to relax in the shade. Otherwise, you could put a large umbrella up over the table so that you can eat in comfort.

Put in a hot tub

Relaxing in the hot tub after a long day at work might be exactly what you need to de-stress. You will have the choice on the size, shape and design of your hot tub. If you place it on the deck, make sure the foundation is strong enough to support it when it is filled with water.

Incorporate mood lights

After the sun goes down, there will not be any light in your backyard apart from the moon and stars. If you want more light than that, you will need to add it yourself. String lights up in the tree branches to create a welcoming glow. Another option would be to set up some candles, so you can watch the light flicker across your beautiful yard.

It is fairly simple to create your ideal space in your own backyard. What is better about this option is that you can customize it exactly to your needs. As well, you do not need to share it with people you do not know, as you would if you were on vacation.

How to Create a Waterfall in Your Garden

When people think of waterfalls in their garden, they will usually picture the water flowing into a pond. However, having a pond is not the best idea for everybody. If there are small children or pets in the family, open bodies of water are not the best option in terms of safety. Luckily, you can still have a waterfall incorporated into your fountain. We will be discussing some of the different designs that might interest you.

Tier bowl fountain

The look of a multi-tiered fountain can be breathtaking. When the water travels from one level to the next, it produces a rhythmic, gentle sound. If you do not want a large fountain, you can still accomplish the same effect with a smaller model. This type of fountain will have small bowls placed beneath each other. Due to its small size, birds are likely to stop by and have a quick bath in the top bowl.

Hanging fountain

A hanging fountain will need to be mounted on some type of wall. This will typically be a fence or a building wall. The waterfall feature will involve the water starting near the top of the fountain, and making its way down to the basin. Most fountains will have some sort of design to make the water flow look more interesting. Hanging fountains are nice because you can place them up high, and out of the way of your children. This way, they are not a safety concern, but can still be admired as a focal point of the garden.

Layered rock waterfall

This option is suitable for people who want to embrace the natural landscape around them. Instead of adding modern touches to a yard, you could choose to enhance the beauty of nature. This waterfall fountain consists of a layered pile of rocks (either synthetic or real). The water is meant to flow through one (or multiple) entrances at the top, and gather at the bottom. The appeal of this fountain is that it may go with the theme of your entire garden. For example, if you prefer to have vines growing and lots of trees, a rock waterfall fountain may be the next addition that you are looking for.

There are so many options that we can choose to create more beauty around ourselves. This is why it is important to take the time and investigate exactly what it is that you want. Do not rush to go and buy something that is not perfect for you and your family. You can create the ideal outdoor living space, with a waterfall fountain as the main focal point.