How to Add Color and Decoration to Your Front Porch

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Front lawns are often neglected even though they are the first impression of your house and your lifestyle. Other than keeping your grass cut, there are little additions that people make to their front lawn. Water Feature Pros has some ideas for pieces and vegetation that would add a lot of life to this outdoor area.

Festive decorations

We love holidays and how they give us a great reason to spruce up our outdoor living spaces. Christmas comes with wreaths for your front door, lights around the house and a festive welcome mat. Halloween is our favorite holiday, and plastic electric Jack-o-lanterns or skeletons add a lot of character to your porch.

Showcase Flags

Putting up a simple flag pole allows you to hang some great looking flags on your porch. We love celebrating holidays, so festive flags are great. Also, you can make your own flag with whatever decoration suits you.

Install a porch swing

Kids love swings and so do we. A swing encourages you and your family to take a reprieve from the TV and computer in your house and instead swing on your porch. Some swings are sturdier that others, so make sure your kids know they need to swing gently.

Outdoor fountain

Outdoor fountains are great on your front porch, right next to your flower bed or standing alone. Fountains also look great along a path, so if you want to frame your fountain while letting it stand in the middle of your lawn choose a spot along the path to your front door.

Add a flower or rock bed

The area where your lawn meets your porch should have some decoration. Vegetation is a great idea, but tress are a bit too risky. Forming a flower bed or even a rock bed will add some decoration to your space. If you have bushes in this area, simply adding some rocks or flowers with tiling will help encase the area in a beautiful manner.

Call Water Feature Pros if you think a fountain or planters could improve the quality of your front lawn.

 

The Do’s and Don’ts of Water Features and Kids

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Installing water features in your home provides a wide range of benefits. After having an indoor fountain or water wall in your own home, you will understand all they can do for your interior style, air quality, and energy. The possibilities are limitless… unless there are children in your home. There are a few decisions that you’ll want to make, and a few you should avoid. If you are placing a fountain in a child’s room, or a home with children, you DO want to improve air quality and provide white noise; you DON’T want a free-standing fountain or a fountain with small pieces.

Do’s: Air Quality and White Noise

Children are naturally sensitive to their surroundings. Their most immediate surrounding is the air they breathe. Installing a water feature in your home or even your child’s bedroom can improve the air. Indoor fountains are capable of humidifying the air during the harsh, dry winter months, and removing dirt and debris from the air. They also produce negative ions, combatting the positive ions produced by electric appliances in your home, naturally increasing the body’s serotonin levels. You and your children will actually feel better with water in your home.

The steady, flowing sound of the water will contribute to that feeling. The presence of white noise in the home poses a number of benefits. The constant, soothing sound is known to help with symptoms of depression, stress, and anxiety. If you place a fountain in your child’s room, it serves as a natural noise machine, assisting in a much more beneficial and uninterrupted sleep. The whole family will feel refreshed.

Don’ts: Small Pieces and Free-Standing Fountains

After children become a part of your life, you are presented with a number of concerns that you hadn’t dealt with before. One of the main concerns a parent of small children has when making a purchase for their home is if there is a choking hazard. Many fountains come with small pieces, or decorative rocks. These are the fountains you will definitely want to avoid.

The other types of fountains you want to stay away from are the standalone designs. Many of these designs are beautiful additions to your home, but when children are around, they are more danger than beauty. Avoid designs that are easily accessible and easy to topple over. Opt for wall designs, or tabletop designs that remain out of reach.

While having children in your home does limit your choices for indoor water features, it doesn’t completely eliminate them. The air quality and white noise will benefit an environment where children are present. Just avoid the small pieces, and free-standing designs, and you’ll find a feature the whole family will love!

 

Make Your Big, Open Space Feel Like Home

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Making the right choices for decorating a large, empty room can be very overwhelming. Sometimes hanging art on the wall or moving your furniture to a different corner just isn’t enough to make the harsh, empty environment feel warm and inviting. When you enter a room in your home, you want it to feel like you are welcome.

If you have a large room that you are trying to fill, don’t just pack it with clutter for the sake of taking up space. That can end up being more stressful than the original empty space. When you are considering bringing more of a cozy home feeling to large room, there are a few main things to keep in mind.

Tone it down

One of the main things that can make a room feel cold and uninviting are the choices of color. Sure, that bright blue paint looked great in the store, but now that you’ve filled your room with it, you find that it’s more like staring into a never-ending sky. If you want to make your room cozier, be sure to opt for colors that are warm, neutral, or earthy, and somewhat dark. Choosing these types of colors makes it seem almost as if the walls are closer to you, instantly bringing a feeling that is already more like home.

Big spaces, big pieces

Imagine filling your bedroom today with all of the furniture and decorations you had as a child. You will quickly understand that the size of the furniture in your room is extremely important. Putting small pieces of furniture in a big, open spaces creates an even bigger feeling of separation. When you are looking for furniture to fill your large room, be sure to keep an eye out for the bigger pieces. Search for furniture with tall and broad features that will take up plenty of floor and wall space. Bigger isn’t always better, but in this case it is best.

Just add water

Once you have chosen the color of your walls, and the furniture you like most, the last step is adding an indoor waterfall or a water wall to complement your design. A beautiful wall piece will turn your large, open space into a viewing area where you can always enjoy the beauty and tranquility of a gentle waterfall. A choice like this will make your walls much more dynamic, and the steady flow of the water will calm you, and even help you sleep.

You don’t have to accept your large room and all of its unforgiving space. Just a few specific changes can make all the difference in the world. By making certain decorative decisions, your desolate cave can become a thriving, welcoming home.

Attracting Wildlife with Your Garden Fountain

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There are many benefits to installing a water feature in your backyard. It transforms your visual setting, and creates a brand new atmosphere in your outdoor space. One benefit that people overlook is the ability to attract beautiful wildlife. Whether it is a small tiered stone fountain and a birdbath, or a pond and waterfall, your favorite animals will love to come and visit. If you are the type of person who loves observing birds, frogs, deer, or rabbits, installing a water feature in your outdoor area is a great way of bringing some of your favorite animal friends to your own home.

Watch Birds

If you are an avid advocate of our avian friends, installing a stone fountain in your garden is the perfect choice for you. Be on the hunt for something with obvious water flow. Animals are very attracted to running water. Choosing something with multiple levels and cascading streams of water is an optimum choice. Birds will have a lot of difficulty trying to resist this oasis you have designed for them. When you go out to your garden or courtyard to relax and enjoy yourself, your new bird visitors will be there for the very same reason.

Attract Deer

If you live in a location that is farther from the city life, you have even more options for attracting wildlife to your property. In areas that are separate from the city activity, it is not uncommon to attract a few deer to your home. Imagine peeking out into your backyard to see these beautiful creatures enjoying themselves in full view. Installing a beautiful pond or waterfall in your landscape is the perfect addition, and the perfect drinking fountain for your visitors. They will be very grateful for the drinking water, and you’ll love to observe them.

Keep Clean Water

If you do expect animals to visit you for a drink, be sure that the quality of your water is appropriate. Animals will naturally want to drink from, or splash around in, a source of fresh water. Make sure that water is actually fresh and clean. There are a lot of ways to keep your pond and fountain clean, but they are not all safe for your pets and animals. If you are in the market for a product to combat algae and other unwanted growth, be sure to opt for a product that is safe for animals. Choose products that are specifically designed to clean ponds and fountains. They are generally not toxic to wildlife.

Your home can be the oasis you always wanted it to be with the addition of a well-placed water feature. The scene will be a beautiful sight to behold, and the mood created by the steady flow of water will be welcoming and relaxing. You will enjoy all of your time there, and you’ll find that some of the wildlife will enjoy the space, too.

Designing a Kid-Friendly Backyard

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Your backyard is the frame for many of your family’s most cherished memories. When you step out of your back door, you are transported through a timeline of unforgettable experiences and a joy that never fades. You have had countless cookouts, birthday parties, and summer celebrations in this space, and it is the backdrop for a large chunk of your family photo album. As such an important space, it’s important that it’s in its best condition. If you have kids, there are a certain few qualities that you should consider when coming up with the design of your backyard. Be sure to leave lots of open space, designate a shaded location, and install a water feature.

Big, Open Spaces

One of the most important things you can do for your children is to simply give them space. Children are easily amused, and are often entertained by their own movements and actions. When you are designing your space, be sure to give your kids lots of space to run around and enjoy themselves. If you give them room, they’ll figure out how to make fun of it. Your kids will love the chance to run around aimlessly, and you’ll love to see them burning up their deep well of energy.

Shade

While open space is important, so is your child’s protection. Hours spent in the hot sun can take a serious toll on the health of your child’s body. If you are considering installing something along the lines of a sandbox or playpen, be sure to install it in a shaded location. A great option is utilizing the trees. They are a great source of natural shade, and you can even take it to the next level by building a tree house for your kids. It will provide protection from UV rays, while providing your child with a new world where they can play.

Outdoor Fountain

Another way to transform the world outside of your house is by installing a water feature. A well-placed water fountain will bring your setting to an all new level that both you and your children will appreciate. Children are dazzled by the flowing water and moving parts, and they will love to observe the energy. Water features also attract beautiful wildlife, exposing your children to the great outdoors in the safety of their own backyard. Installing a bird-feeder will make this experience even more valuable.

When you and your children go out into your backyard, you’re bound to make priceless memories. You’ll love to see your children running around, climbing trees, playing in the dirt, and interacting with nature. With a few specific choices, you can be sure that you and your family will enjoy all your time outside.

What’s That Smell? What to do About It

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One of the worst ways to ruin a beautiful setting and a relaxing moment is with a foul odor. The smell of stagnant water is an odor that is overwhelming and terribly unpleasant. If you have a fountain, pond, or other water feature installed at your home, it is important to keep the water clean and fresh, so you can avoid unwanted odors. The main culprits when it comes to these smells are algae, decaying organic matter, and anaerobic bacteria. With proper use of your pump, regular cleaning, and proper use of fountain chemicals, you can avoid that smelly annoyance.

Pumps are Necessary

One of the best ways you can avoid the smell of stagnant water is to use your pump properly and regularly. Using a pump aerates your water. This process dissolves oxygen into the water, and that keeps the growth of anaerobic bacteria at bay. It will also pump any cleaners or fountains chemicals you may be using throughout the entire fountain. Keeping your water moving and aerated is probably the most important factor to consider when it comes to keeping your water fresh. The only time you will want to turn the pump off is for a monthly deep cleaning. If it off for two or more days, you will want to replace the water in your fountain.

Remove Organic Debris

While paying attention to the pump is important, it isn’t the only thing that needs to be cleaned. In order to have fresh, clean water, it’s important to be aware of keeping the water itself free of debris. You will want to make sure there is no buildup of leaves, sticks, or other organic materials. When those materials begin to decompose, they release toxic gases that give off foul odors. Not only is a buildup of leaves and sticks unattractive, it poses several water quality and health threats.

Fountain Chemicals

Not only is debris buildup an issue, but so is the buildup of algae and white scale. There are several fountain chemicals available to keep these nuisances at bay. Adding a little to your water can provide stunning results. Vinegar and bleach can also be helpful, but only on certain materials and rocks. Regular cleaning with chemicals that combat the growth of unwanted materials is a sure way to keep your water clean and free of bacteria and algae.

The best way to keep you fountain from giving off a foul odor is simply to keep it clean. Regular maintenance is the key. The use of the pump is extremely important to water circulation and aeration. Physical cleaning is also a crucial part of the process. You want you fountain to be free of organic debris, and regularly using fountain chemicals keeps algae and white scale at bay. If you stay on top of things, you won’t have to worry about a bad smell creeping up to ruin your time.

Add Class to Your Scene with an Outdoor Fountain

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Has the time come for your to redesign your outdoor space? Every once in a while, it’s important to update your scene to keep the energy alive and fresh. Are you searching for ways to enhance the look and feel of your outdoor space while also adding a sense of class and elegance? There are a wide range of options available for transforming your outdoor location. You can choose subtle lighting to enhance the look of your property, bring life and class to the space with a collection of planters, and add a final elegant touch with the perfect outdoor fountain.

LED Lighting

When it comes to creating a classy and elegant outdoor space, it is often the simple and subtle accents that make all the difference. A very popular and stylish way of accenting your space is with perfectly placed LED lighting. LED lights can be installed along walkways, on stairs, and even in water features. They are a great way of bringing your scene a fresh new look. They are available in all kinds of colors, and there are even color changing options available. With your many options, you will be able to create the most appropriate look for your scene.

Planters and Urns

A great way to enhance the energy of your space is by including plants and greenery to your setting. The right planter or urn will be the perfect place for your favorite flowers and plants. With their many sizes and detailed, elegant designs, the right container or set of planters should not be too hard to get your hands on. The classic design that is used for many urns will complement your new scene and accentuate the classy new look that you are aiming for. With this sort of addition, you are well on your way to creating a magnificent setting.

Outdoor Fountains

The final element that will bring your new elegant scene together is a beautiful, grand fountain. If you are aiming to create a setting of class and style, the right fountain is a must-have. The most appropriate style of fountain is most likely a classic tiered design. These beautiful designs have stood the test of time, and proven themselves to be some of the most beautiful creations of all time. The way that the water flows and cascades over each tier creates a stunning visual and provides a steady, soothing sound.

Your backyard can be transformed into a beautiful, elegant scene that is full of class and style. Make the most of your space, and accentuate the beauty of your property. With the right lighting, greenery, and water features, it is certainly possible. Just decide what’s right for your space!

Illuminate Your Water Features

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Creating the right atmosphere for your home is a special process. Many of your most precious memories will be spent at home. Imagine the warmth of the fireplace during the holidays, the warmth of the sun on a beautiful summer day, or the springtime breeze while relaxing on the patio hammock. You’ll see while reminiscing with family photo albums that your home is the backdrop for some of your most treasured experiences. Create a backdrop that is welcoming, calming, and beautiful. There are several ways that you can utilize water and light to accent the beauty and style of your home.

Indoor Wall Mounted Fountains

If you are looking for the perfect way to bring a new look and feel to your indoor space, a wall mounted fountain may be just what you’ve been searching for. Water walls come in a wide range of colors, materials, and styles. From natural looking rock and slate pieces with copper frames, to bold and unique custom art pieces, there are many ways they can enhance the style of your space. The water flow also assists in purifying and humidifying the air. The steady flowing sounds of the water produce white noise, which is proven to calm and assist a restful sleep.

Outdoor Water Features

There are several ways you can make changes to your backyard, but one of the most stylish and impressive ways to accent your space is with water. A  beautiful statuary fountain will serve well as a centerpiece or garden accessory. If you are look for a more sleek and modern look, a spillway will accent your setting with a sleek sheet of water, flowing gently into a basin below. They look great along walls and staircases, or in conjunction with a small pond.

Illuminate Them

Water panels, fountains, and spillways are great ways of accenting your home and patio space with water, and you can do even more take these water features to the next level. One of the best ways you can accent your space is by installing LED lights in your water features and landscape. Lighting is a powerful element that people often overlook. When applied thoughtfully, lights can completely transform your nighttime scene. LEDs come in all types of colors, some even color-changing. With so many options for light, you can create light themes for certain moods and events, and truly make the most of your property.

When you’re planning out how you want your space to look and feel, make sure you are thoughtful with your choices. Small improvements can make all the difference. Subtle accents to your home and landscape are a great way of bringing out the natural and structural beauty of where you live. With well-placed sources of flowing water and soft light, you can truly accent your space without overwhelming the scene. You will love to come home to such a beautiful, calming, and relaxing place.

Choosing the Right Garden Fountain

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Do you love spending time knelt in the dirt, hands in the soil, with the aroma of fresh plants and flowers filling your senses? Having a garden at home is a fun, therapeutic hobby, and a great way to produce your own flowers and vegetables. Installing a water feature in your home garden is perfect for enhancing the soothing and therapeutic qualities of your space, while contributing to the beauty of the scene. There are a wide range of outdoor water features. If you are considering adding one to your garden space, some of your best options are stone statuary fountains, small ponds, or spillways.

Stone Statuary Fountains

Do you have a large classic garden? A classy hand-crafted statuary fountain serves as the perfect accent or centerpiece. There are many different styles and designs of statuary fountains, available in many sizes and shapes. The classic tiered fountain is a popular choice for this type of application. There is nothing like watching the water flowing from a round or pineapple shaped finial, and raining over the edges of multiple tiers. Many of them feature sculptures and classic designs that evoke an old-world atmosphere. These fountains add new levels of life and energy to an already thriving space.

Small Ponds

Sometimes, you want a more subtle and natural look for your garden. If so, installing a small pond is likely to be your best bet. They are a great way of enhancing the landscape surrounding your garden space without being too visually overwhelming. They are also perfect for cultivating even more life in your space. You can add fish to your pond and take it to the next level. You will love the feeling of growing flowers and vegetables, while sustaining wildlife in your area. With these small changes, time spent in your yard and garden can become much more than just a hobby.

Spillways

If you would prefer to forgo the classic scene or the natural look, you might want to consider installing a spillway and basin near your garden. These are a great way of taking water’s natural soothing abilities, and giving it a modern and contemporary display. The stream flows out in a smooth sheet, splashing gently into the water below. If you are looking for ways to accent and enhance the style and class of your garden area, these are a great choice for you. Their sleek and minimal design is truly incomparable.

If you have a garden at home, take full advantage of your space. You will be truly surprised when you feel how much of an improvement installing a water feature can make. Stone statuary pieces complete your classic scene, small ponds enhance a natural look, and spillways brings your water display into a contemporary realm. For an extra touch, you can install LED lighting into any of these water features, accenting the beauty of your scene, even after the sun sets. The dazzling displays of water and soothing flowing sounds combined with the calming hands-on act of gardening makes for a truly blissful experience.

 

Finding a Fountain for Your Bedroom

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Finding a Fountain for Your Bedroom

When people think of having a water feature installed in their home, they often think of outdoor features for their gardens and patio spaces. People tend to overlook the wide range of indoor options, especially when it comes to decorating their own bedroom. But, there are many benefits and effects to consider for water features in your bedroom. You want something that will fit visually, contribute to air quality, and help you sleep.

Visual Appeal

Choosing the right fountain or other water feature for your bedroom will require a little bit of an artistic eye. You can’t just place any feature in any location, and you want to make sure the choice you’re making is the most appropriate one. If you have a small bedroom, you may want to opt for a small tabletop fountain to sit on a bedside table, or a small wall fountains that will leave all of your floor space open to other options.

Air Quality

Your bedroom is where you spend a large portion of your time. The air quality of your bedroom can be greatly improved with an appropriate water feature. An indoor fountain is capable of removing dust, dirt, and debris from the air. The larger your fountain is, the more effective its air purification qualities are. You do your deepest breathing in your bedroom every night when you sleep; make sure those breaths are clean and healthy.

Sleep Quality

Having a fountain in your home will not only help your breathing when you sleep, but the actual quality of the sleep itself. White noise is known for helping people get an uninterrupted high quality level of sleep. People even purchase noise machines whose sole purpose is to create white noise as a sleep aid. Allow a fountain to accomplish this goal along with several others.

If you’re looking for a way to refresh the energy of your bedroom, remember everything that an indoor water feature can do for you. Your bedroom is your own private oasis; make sure that it is good enough for you. The improvements on your interior decoration, air quality, and sleep quality will be greatly appreciated. Your bedroom will never be the same.

Finding the Fountain that Fits

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Is it time for some redecorating? Is the interior designer in you itching for a brand new project? When it comes to creating the scene inside your home, adding a water feature can be a great touch. Available in a wide array of styles and designs, the possibilities for decorating with water are virtually limitless. With all of these choices, be sure to find the feature that complements the look of your home the best. When you are decorating, be aware of three main elements of design: color, texture, and size.

Color

One of the most striking elements you will want to be aware of is color. If you are decorating a contemporary styled room with modern features and bright colors, a rustic, natural looking water wall won’t flow well with the other pieces in the room. Alternatively, if you are wanting to accent a room that features neutral colors and classic elements, a sleek rain feature with colored LEDs might stick out like a sore thumb. Be sure to have a color scheme for you entire room.

Texture

When choosing a water feature, an element that is often overlooked is texture. Though it isn’t as immediately noticeable as color, texture can make a big difference in the look of your scene. When choosing texture, it’s all about complementing the whole. A wall fountain with a natural rock texture is the perfect way to accent a classic family or dining room. A more smooth and elegant design may be preferred if your setting lends itself to a more modern style.

Size

In the decorating process, size is a big deal. It can make all the difference on how effective your decorative choices really are. When you are decorating a large room, be sure to avoid using many small pieces. Large spaces are best suited for large water walls, and floor fountains. When it comes to small rooms, tabletop and small wall features are best. You don’t want your fountain to use valuable floor space.

Don’t be the cause of any decorative disasters. When you are choosing which fountain is right for you, think of the room you are decorating and find the piece that complements it. Keep color, texture, and size in mind, and you should have no problem hitting the mark.

Statuary Fountains and Other Components of an Italian Garden

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Building a garden and cultivating a collection of plant life is one of the most gratifying feelings a person can experience. There are so many choices for what you can do with your garden space that it can be hard to settle on a certain style or theme. The simple, classical Italian theme is one of the most beloved styles when it comes to garden design. The classic garden allows the visual and the atmosphere to speak for itself. To create a beautiful Italian scene, opt for shrubs and flowers, a classical tiered fountain, and hand-crafted stone outdoor furniture.

Flowers and Shrubbery

The composition of a classic garden scene is actually fairly simple. The intricacies and details come from how the plants and flowers are arranged. When choosing plants for your classic garden, keep your list fairly short. All you will need is a collection of shrubs and selection of a few of your favorite flowers to add a bit of color to your space. The main design of your garden should be determined by where your shrubs are placed. You can even design them in a way that your garden has deliberate pathways. You can then accent your setup with the colorful flowers and vines.

Classical Tiered Fountain

When it comes to choosing a fountain for your classical garden, there is one main option that overshadows the rest. This option is the classical tiered fountain. A classical garden will seem nearly incomplete without the presence of a grand tiered fountain to finalize the look and feel of your space. Taking nods from ancient Rome and on, these amazing structures evoke an old-world feel while creating a scene that is welcoming and soothing. There are a wide range of sizes and styles to choose from, some complete with sculptures and figurines. There is sure to be a fountain that is perfect for your scene.

Stone Outdoor Furniture

Your garden is a place of peace and serenity. To better enjoy your time there, it is important to choose some outdoor furniture so that you can have a place to sit and absorb the beauty of your space. While they are countless styles and materials used to produce outdoor furniture, one of the best options for a classic garden setup is the use of stone furniture. The right stone benches, stools, and tables are perfect for complementing your scene. There are options made from granite, jade, marble, and more. The designs, ranging from smooth and basic to textured and intricate, are all great accents to a natural scene.

With all of the styles and designs that are always becoming available, sometimes the most desirable option is the simple, classic one. When it comes to designing a garden, the classic look is always a good choice. With the right plants, a beautiful fountain, and some classic stone furniture, you can have a classic Italian scene in your own backyard.