You want a wrought iron gazebo -- a chic outdoor room!
And you're thinking of the comfort,
beauty, and meaning a gazebo will add to your life.
You want tips on living the gazebo lifestyle.
And you want ideas and information about
gazebo:
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Am I right?
I can imagine you thinking of all the
different ways to use your new gazebo and dreaming about how great
it will be.
Don't you just love wrought iron gazebos?
Me too! I love everything about them.
Especially the gazebo memories.
36 Ways To
Use Your Wrought Iron Gazebo
Almost anything you do in your indoor rooms, will be way
more enjoyable outdoors in your own wrought iron gazebo!
Here's my quick list of 36 ways you and your family can use
any kind of gazebo:
- Birthday parties
- Barbecues
- Graduation celebrations
- Slumber parties
- Baby showers
- Greenhouse
- Garden parties
- Watching the seasons change
- Meditation space
- Wedding vows
- Wedding receptions
- Game room
- Reading room
- Focal point
- Home office
- Kids arts & crafts room
- Your own art room
- Alfresco lunch room
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- Outdoor home office
- Architectural statement
- Potting shed
- Flower arranging room
- Gift wrapping room
- Kids playroom
- Alfresco dinner room
- Tea room
- Spa
- Hot tub
- Sleep porch
- Cook center
- Dance floor
- Outdoor decor project
- Alfresco breakfast room
- Workout room
- Coffee lounge
- Chat room
- Fresh-air family room
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See
what I mean?
Wrought iron gazebos are extreme multi-purpose spaces. They
are fabulously functional yard accessories.
You get an outdoor room with privacy, shelter, and a
360-degree view. Your yard gets a party palace with lots of
visual impact. And your property gets a boost in value.
How fabulous is that -- not a looser in the bunch!
A wrought iron gazebo is an outdoor sanctuary that extends
your living space and costs a whole lot less than adding a
room to the house.
And the elegance of a
wrought iron gazebo will make any little trinket you add look
absolutely fabulous!
The Love Affair
Begins
I fell in love with gazebos as a child. I could see my
neighbor’s backyard from my bedroom window. I watched in
fascination as their wrought iron gazebo changed personalities
with every season.
Chilly, gray days backdropped the gazebo in winter. Even now, I
can remember thinking how much it looked like the carousels I
rode in summer.
It wore tulips and daffodils in the
spring, while climbing vines dressed its pillars, and huge ferns
hung from its arches.
All summer long, colorful cotton swags billowed from the center of
the gazebo’s ceiling to its corners. And small breezes played
happily with the fabric that fell between the arches.
Autumn had the
gazebo’s floor dressed in pumpkins and gourds. Hay bales covered with
mums became its border.
The Love Affair Bares
Fruit!
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It’s the strangest thing, but
somehow I've been hard-wired to love all things outdoor
décor.
It’s crazy -- I know -- but
completely true.
As an adult, I still love wrought iron gazebos.
When I
was blessed to
build my own home, nothing I tried would make my husband agree
to live with me in a wrought iron gazebo.
Believe me, I tried everything! |
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So, instead I built a
fully enclosed, 8-sided gazebo and accented it with
fabulous, wonderful wrought iron outdoor decor! The
picture you see above is
my gazebo house. There's more than one way to skin a cat
-- I always say!
My friend Vali takes the most beautiful pictures. And
she was kind enough to take this one
for me. But I'm digital image-challenged. So the image you see doesn't
do justice to Vali's talent.
The house is actually 3
octagons -- one is
set inside the other with another octagon on top. That's the cupola. And
wrought iron is absolutely everywhere!
Now you know I'm crazy -- crazy about outdoor
décor!
Gazebo Fun
Facts
The word gazebo is an inter-mingling of the words “gazed”
and “about”.
Gazebos are called everything from summerhouses,
screen houses, kiosks and pavilions to pergolas, arbors,
grottos, teahouses, and pagodas.
They've been around for
literally thousands of years.
And many of today's wrought
iron gazebo designs are actually inspired by medieval
architecture and Italian cathedrals.
Wrought Iron Gazebo
Features
Here's the short list of features you can expect to get
with your wrought iron gazebo:
- Elegant scroll patterns
- High style
- Weather resistance
- Fade resistance
- Durability
- Reliability
- Low maintenance
- Old World charm
- Art Nouveau Architecture
- Customization opportunities
- Hand-forged
- Solid steel construction
- High-penetration welds
- Slip-fit assemblies
- Powder coat finishes
- Silver, reddish-bronze, black, antique white, and
blue-green patinas
- Unlimited shapes, sizes, and styles
- Multiple base options like wood, brick, and limestone
just to name a few
- Sleek,
substantial pedestal options
A steel gazebo can take any form from
ornate Victorian with beautifully turned posts and handrails
to Nouveau Gothic with intricate scrollwork across the ceiling
and down the pillars.
There's also modern rustic and thoroughly modern with clean
contemporary lines.
My favorite? I'm glad you asked! It's the classic
observatory with a dome and pillars.
Your wrought iron gazebo can have 5, 8, or
12 sides. Or you can choose one that’s round, oval, square,
or rectangular.
If you’re zany
like me, why not customize it with a combination of any of
these shapes.
Some wrought iron gazebos are just big enough to tuck a
bench underneath. And others are larger than any of your
indoor rooms.
Where Will Your Gazebo
Live?
This is the single most important wrought iron gazebo decision you'll
make. So take some time to ponder. You’ll be glad you did.
You want your gazebo to be as inviting as possible. If it is difficult to use – whatever that means to you – you’ll avoid
using it. And that's no fun at all!
You can stake out the location with string to get an idea
of how well the location you've chosen will work. Leave the
string in place a few days to see if you can live with it.
Take it a step further and put a chair in the spot you've
staked out. Then sit down, and look around from the gazebo's
point-of-view.
Will you use your gazebo to serve breakfast, lunch, dinner,
desserts, or midnight snacks? Think easy access if any of your
plans involve carrying items between the gazebo and patio, or
house.
Let's create a little mystery! Let's add an element
of the unexpected! Position your gazebo so the entire
structure can't be seen all at once from the house.
Make it just visible enough to compel your
friends and family to explore and discover.
You’ll have lots of happy
traffic between the house and your gazebo.
Gazebos are all about panoramic views! Think about how you
can position your gazebo to take in as much scenery as
possible.
This is really easy if you have a large area in your yard
that’s also elevated. You’ll have a great view from above.
If your property extends to a large body of water -- you
are so lucky! You can build a solid base that extends beyond
land's end, overhanging the water. Then secure your wrought
iron gazebo to this base.
The visual effect is extremely powerful. And the technique
works well for backyard pools, ponds, creeks, and waterfalls.
You can also put your gazebo at the far end of the yard.
Done right, it creates the illusion of more space -- the eye
perceives that the yard continues beyond.
If you want the gazebo close to the house or pool,
incorporate it into your existing deck or patio.
How does your garden grow? Accessorize your garden with
your new gazebo! Watch your garden grow and smell your flowers
at the same time.
With your gazebo so near the garden, it will easily do
double duty as a potting shed.
Wrought Iron Gazebo Creature Comforts
Utilities. Face it. We can't live
without them. And you shouldn't -- not even in a wrought iron gazebo.
If you love convenience, you’ll definitely want to consider
running water, lights and electrical outlets.
Check out gazebos that have columns supported on a good
size base.
The base will give you a place to put your light switches
and electrical outlets. And with careful planning, you can
even have running water and a work or serving surface.
Solar and low voltage lights as well as candles are all
convenient and inexpensive lighting options.
You and I both know you need music in your outdoor room!
Add a weatherproof sound system that’s fed from your indoor
stereo system. This is also inexpensive and easy to install
yourself.
Where will you put the barbecue pit? Is it on the patio
now? Will you move it closer to the new gazebo?
I have a friend who has outfitted his wrought iron gazebo
with a stove, an oven, a small refrigerator, a sink and a
grill! Must be nice!
What about drinks at sunset? You'll
need an outlet for the blender. Margaritas anyone?
