Modern Garden Decor: Fountains and their Roots
Modern Garden Decor: Fountains and their Roots
A water fountain is an architectural piece that pours water into a basin or jets it high into the air in order to provide drinking water, as well as for decorative purposes. Originally, fountains only served a practical purpose. People in cities, towns and villages received their drinking water, as well as water to bathe and wash, from aqueducts or springs in the vicinity. Used until the nineteenth century, in order for fountains to flow or shoot up into the air, their origin of water such as reservoirs or aqueducts, had to be higher than the water fountain in order to benefit from the power of gravity. Artists thought of fountains as amazing additions to a living space, however, the fountains also served to provide clean water and celebrate the artist responsible for building it. Animals or heroes made of bronze or stone masks were often times used by Romans to beautify their fountains. During the Middle Ages, Muslim and Moorish garden designers included fountains in their designs to re-create the gardens of paradise. To demonstrate his dominance over nature, French King Louis XIV included fountains in the Garden of Versailles. The Popes of the 17th and 18th centuries were glorified with baroque style fountains made to mark the arrival points of Roman aqueducts.
Indoor plumbing became the key source of water by the end of the 19th century thereby restricting urban fountains to mere decorative elements. Impressive water effects and recycled water were made possible by replacing the power of gravity with mechanical pumps.
Contemporary fountains are used to adorn public spaces, honor individuals or events, and enhance recreational and entertainment events.
Your Outdoor Living Area: The Perfect Spot for a Wall Fountain
Your Outdoor Living Area: The Perfect Spot for a Wall Fountain A good way to enhance the look of your outdoor living area is to add a wall water feature or an exterior garden fountain to your landscaping or garden layout. Historical fountains and water features have sparked the interest of modern-day designers as well as fountain manufacturers. As such, the impact of integrating one of these to your home decor binds it to past times. In addition to the positive characteristics of garden fountains, they also produce water and moisture which goes into the air, thereby, attracting birds as well as other creatures and harmonizing the environment. For example, birds attracted by a fountain or birdbath can be helpful because they fend off irritating flying insects.Spouting or cascading fountains are not the best alternative for a small garden since they need a great deal of space.
Either a freestanding fountain with an even back and an attached basin placed against a fence or a wall, or a wall-mounted kind which is self-contained and hangs on a wall, are some of the possibilities from which you can choose. Be sure to include a fountain mask to an existing wall and a basin to collect the water at the bottom if you want to add a fountain to your living area. The plumbing and masonry work necessary for this kind of work requires know-how, so it is best to hire a skilled person rather than go at it yourself.
Can Wall Water Fountains Help Detoxify The Air?
Can Wall Water Fountains Help Detoxify The Air? An otherwise lackluster ambiance can be livened up with an indoor wall fountain. Your senses and your health can benefit from the installation of one of these indoor features. The research behind this theory endorses the idea that water fountains can favorably impact your health. The negative ions emitted by water features are counterbalanced with the positive ions produced by modern-day conveniences. When positive ions overtake negative ones, this results in improved mental and physical wellness. The increased serotonin levels resulting from these types of features make people more attentive, serene and energized. Indoor wall fountains {generate negative ions which serve to heighten your mood and eliminate air pollutants.
Water features also help in eliminating allergens, pollutants among other types of irritants. Lastly, the dust particles and micro-organisms floating in the air inside your house are absorbed by water fountains leading to better overall health.
Outdoor Fountain Builders Through History
Outdoor Fountain Builders Through History Multi-talented individuals, fountain designers from the 16th to the late 18th century often functioned as architects, sculptors, artists, engineers and cultivated scholars all in one person. Exemplifying the Renaissance skilled artist as a imaginative master, Leonardo da Vinci toiled as an inventor and scientific expert. He carefully recorded his ideas in his currently recognized notebooks, after his mind boggling curiosity in the forces of nature led him to explore the characteristics and mobility of water. Converting private villa configurations into imaginative water exhibits complete with symbolic interpretation and natural beauty, early Italian water fountain designers combined resourcefulness with hydraulic and gardening expertise. Known for his incredible skill in archeology, design and garden creations, Pirro Ligorio, the humanist, provided the vision behind the wonders in Tivoli. Masterminding the phenomenal water marbles, water features and water antics for the assorted mansions in the vicinity of Florence, some other water feature builders were well versed in humanist subjects and ancient scientific texts.