Series: Setting the Scene for Year-Round Enjoyment. Part Four: A Reflective Touch

Hello, friends in the blogosphere and beyond!  Can you believe another year has flown by and that it is Fall yet again!?  My, how time flies.

Today, I would like to again share some of the goings on in my garden.  

What inspires you when planning an outdoor space?  Do you enjoy a stately aesthetic or do you prefer a more free-flowing space, allowing for nature to take its own course?  I personally prefer a mix of both.

Levens Hall Garden

Hidcote Gardens, Gloucestershire

It is so interesting how times change and how trends catch on.  A few years ago when I initially began thinking about planning my garden and outdoor space, I became quite intrigued absolutely obsessed with the idea of a garden folly.

Have you ever seen a garden folly?  They are very popular in England.  A garden folly can simply mean an ornate outdoor structure, 

Hever Castle

Point One Architects on Houzz.

or even an elaborate build resembling ruins.  

Fab.  Gothic arches, from Haddon Stone.

Beautiful arches, via Redwood Stone.

The one thing in common is that follies are structures that are mainly meant for decorative purposes, even if they also happen to be functional.

A couple of years back, I was mostly inspired by the type of folly that resembled ruins, specifically those that exemplified old-world or gothic influence.

Eventually, as I began to realize just how involved a folly build would be, I put to rest the idea of a full folly; the idea evolved into the idea of a faux-folly.  I liked the idea of a simple folly consisting of mirrors meant to emulate windows. 

Aren’t these fab??  These mirrors replicate gothic cathedral windows, and I was immediately enamored.  These are just what I had in mind when I was thinking of a faux-folly.  Unfortunately, at the time, they were only available in Europe, and because they were made of very heavy crushed stone, were extraordinarily expensive to ship (we are talking thousands upon thousands!!).

Source unknown.

Lovely.  From English Salvage.

Love these.  Both from Brighton Roc Gothic Mirrors.

Incorporated into a folly ruin, also from Brighton Roc Gothic Mirrors.

Alas, at the end of it all, I had to settle for something much, much less extravagant.  I ended up creating some European-styled mirrors for my garden.  This is such a bummer; in the years that have passed, the trend has caught on and I have even seen similar items comparable to the aforementioned gothic windows at Wayfair, for truly inexpensive prices now!!

I digress…

Here is the method to my madness at the time.

When I started the makeover in the garden, I replaced a section of garden gates, but I'd set aside the gates because I really fancied the diamond pattern of the gates, which reminded me of Elizabethan glass you might see in old Tudor houses. 

I took the gates to a local glass/window making shop and asked that they add mirrored glass to each of the gate panels.  They were able to do so for only a couple of hundred dollars, so not bad!

I then mounted them on the grass wall I had previously created.  They add much more dimension to the space!

Here is a look as I was completing the faux grass wall.

The completed space after the completion of the wall, addition of the seating, firepit, and addition of complementary throw pillows.

A couple of closeups.

A view from the dining area in the house out to the back yard.  I love how all of that gorgeous California sunshine reflects back and forth between the sliding glass, the cabinet glass, and the mirrors!

In the years since, they have held up amazingly well, although I may still lament from time to time not being able to have a true folly, lol!!

From where do you glean inspiration?

--Y

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