Garden pieces find home indoors

Winter's chill and the hectic pace of the holidays may leave you longing for the peaceful, warm tranquility of your summer garden. You may miss the comfort of sitting on your favorite garden bench, watching bright song birds splash in the decorative bath. But you don't have to.

"Today's garden furniture and statuary mix durability with decorative beauty, and are often design-friendly enough to come indoors for the winter," says Michael Ciriello, president of Florentine Craftsmen, a New York-based manufacturer of lead statues and ornaments for more than 85 years. "You can use outdoor pieces to make a bold statement in your home's décor. Then, when the weather warms, move the pieces outdoors to extend your enjoyment of them."

Here are some ideas for bringing the garden indoors and incorporating outdoor pieces in your home décor:

+ A low-profile birdbath makes a great spot to store kindling or scent-producing pine cones beside your woodburning fireplace. These decorative baths nestle well beside the fireplace and come in round, leaf and shell motifs.

+ For a stunning floral statement, bring inside your tall birdbath or favorite garden urn. Fill them with seasonally appropriate flowers and greenery. For example, a tall birdbath will be a stunner when positioned in your entryway and filled with pine boughs that drape toward the floor. When visitors enter, the scents and sights of this display will remind them of an evergreen forest.

+ Garden furniture and statuary is also an inspiring gift. When snow is on the ground, the garden-lover on your list may have a hard time envisioning the spring and summer to come. But unwrapping a brand new garden urn, birdbath or bench will help remind him or her that greener times are on the way.

Florentine Craftsmen produces heirloom quality designs favored by some of the country's leading landscape architects and interior designers. The company's catalog features more than 400 products in lead, bronze and stone. Furniture is constructed of welded cast aluminum, wrought iron and cast bronze. Each piece is made to order in a variety of finishes. One of their most recognizable pieces is the large statue of Ben Hur in his four-horse chariot made for Ceasar's Palace in Las Vegas.

Delivery ranges from two weeks to two months, depending on the season and scope of the order. For more information and inspiring designs, visit www.florentinecraftsmen.com or call (800) 971-7600.

- Courtesy

of ARAcontent.com.