outdoor furniture news

Adding a beautiful piece of artwork to your outdoor living space may be the one addition that can dramatically enhance your patio or garden. A collection of outdoor art can create numerous conversations over the years with its style, flair, and decorative presence. If you are in the market for outdoor artwork, there are some basic factors to consider.

Lets face it, the artwork is going to be outside. Extremely harsh sunlight and weather conditions could easily ruin a painting overnight. There is no gloss or special varnish that can protect your art from being outdoors. There is new technology that can though. Weatherprints by Open Air Designs is a state-of-the-art technology that offers UV and weather resistant paintings. The weatherprints will basically hang on anything you can think of and the included mounting brackets and stainless steel fasteners are patio ready. When shopping for outdoor art, make sure its weather resistant. There are several online retailers and patio stores that carry weatherprints.

The second factor in the search for outdoor art is style. What style is going to fit your arrangement? If you have old traditional patio furniture, hanging a modern or super contemporary piece may severely clash and look out of place. On the contrary, traditional outdoor wall art may not necessarily agree with your sleek and simple outdoor furniture. It’s up to the buyer or their decorator to make this decision but the right eye will eventually meet the right piece, you just have to spend some time looking. Online vendors such as The Outdoor Art Store will give you a head start.

Do you have a “theme” for your garden or patio? There is a term that i like to use and that is overboard syndrome. If you have gone to a beach condo you may have witnessed overboard syndrome before. It’s that condo with paintings of sea shells, fish, dolphins, sand castles, and more sea shells. While this may seem to obviously fit the overall beach “theme”, there is no originality to the setup. A theme’s effectiveness is all about being unique and original and that is the key in adding that next dimension to your patio or garden.

Finally, you have to look at the price tag. It can be convenient to stay on the less expensive side and buy artwork at Target or spend a fortune on a single piece at your favorite gallery. When planning a budget, decide how important your purchase will actually be. Is artwork the most important part of your patio setup? Would that outdoor painting you saw in the gallery “make” verses break your setup? Do you want your artwork to be truly original? Would you like to support a local artist? There are several popular brands that produce outdoor artwork and accessories such as Open Air Designs and Sunterra that may fit your budget.

Artwork:  “Memories of Tuscany II” by Tandi Venter