Small architectural forms (SAF) are structures for decorating and providing comfortable relaxation in the garden. You can make small architectural forms with your own hands, which will give the garden originality.
Small architectural forms serve to zone a site, arrange recreational areas and create additional amenities.
Types of MAF by plant use and manufacturing materials
Types of wooden pergolas
Small architectural forms for the garden come with plants without them.
Among the MAFs that require the mandatory use of vegetation are arches, pergolas and trellises. This category also includes flowerpots, bosquets (planted in a certain sequence and trimmed shrubs and trees that form “green rooms”) and trellises (supports with climbing vegetation).
Small architectural forms can be made from different materials: concrete, wood, metal, natural stone, brick, plastic, etc.
These materials have their pros and cons.
MAF made of wood
Wooden MAFs are the most popular in landscape decoration. Wood has undoubted advantages: environmental friendliness, strength, lightness, ease of processing and maintenance, low cost.
In most cases, wood is used to create the following elements of garden architecture:
These and many other small architectural forms can be made from wood yourself. The simplest option is a flowerbed in the form of a cart. To make such a flower bed, you will need a minimum set of tools for working with wood:
Tools for making MAF from wood.
It is not at all necessary to specifically buy wood. The material can be unnecessary wooden products: boxes, shovel handles, barrels, etc. You can also use a used old cart. To do this, it is enough to treat the wood with antiseptics, paint or varnish. You can fill the soil and plant flowers directly in it, or you can put wooden barrels with flowers in it. Metal cans instead of wooden barrels will look interesting.
A decorative garden cart can serve not only as a flowerbed, but also as a beautiful wood storage area next to the barbecue.
MAF made of concrete
Among the advantages of this material are strength, durability, low maintenance and elegant appearance. At the same time, MAFs made of concrete also have their disadvantages: heavy weight, high cost, custom-made (in most cases), inappropriateness in some styles. On personal plots you can find the following small architectural forms made of concrete:
Decorative fountain made of concrete.
You can still try to make some simple MAFs from concrete yourself. To do this you will need:
Let's start making, for example, a garden sculpture from concrete:
MAF made of metal
Scheme of an arch for flowers made from reinforcement.
Advantages of metal MAFs: reasonable cost, light weight, attractive appearance (especially if it is forged), durability with proper care, the ability to make some designs yourself.
Most often made of metal:
It is quite possible to create some garden structures from metal with your own hands, however, you cannot do without a good welding machine.
MAF from other materials
Sometimes you can find landscape architectural forms made of plastic, glass or natural stone. These materials are less popular, but they can also add originality to the garden plot. When creating MAF from plastic, you can even use unnecessary plastic bottles. MAFs made of natural stone most often have a purely decorative function. It can be as simple as beautiful boulders decorating a rock garden, or sculptures carved from stone. Glass elements and figures will fit perfectly into an unusual garden in a high-tech style. It is not easy to make an MAF from glass yourself: it is a complex technology that requires special skills and equipment. The material for making MAF can be old car tires. You can use them to make various figures, flower beds, garden furniture, and playgrounds for children. All this can be done with your own hands. For this you will need:
In making such MAFs with your own hands, it’s enough just to show your imagination; just make an accurate marking of the future figure before cutting the tire and then make a pattern based on it.
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Role purpose of the MAF
Small architectural forms have long been popular among European residents. This component of landscape decor is often represented as an important part of the garden plots of wealthy and famous people. However, you should not think that only a high-ranking person can afford to transform the area around the house with the above components of landscape decor. Even a simple amateur summer resident can successfully diversify his garden space by taking advantage of such inventions. Of course, the fundamental factors will be personal preferences, financial capabilities, standard construction design, and material. It is worth considering the fact that along with expensive forms such as statues or fountains, amphitheaters or labyrinths, there are cheaper ones.
For example, by building a small canopy of climbing plants or a gazebo near your home, or a small bridge over an artificial pond, you can easily achieve several goals - get aesthetic pleasure, or, for example, hide from the scorching summer sun.
Features of the main types of MAF
Decorative elements of landscape design differ in purpose, appearance and material from which they are made. But they all create the integrity of the perception of the space surrounding the house or cottage.
Benches
This element is present in almost all areas. Forged, wooden, metal benches of different sizes and shapes are convenient not only for relaxation. They are part of landscape design, and often its key element. A common option is to place benches where garden paths meet. They are also placed at the entrance to a house or site, in gazebos, near the bathhouse and in other places.
Sculptures
The easiest way to decorate an area is to put up garden figurines. They are interesting because they are quickly and easily made by hand from a variety of materials. For example, old tires, pieces of wood, and plastic containers can be used as a basis for creating original outdoor sculptures.
There are also many ready-made options made of plastic, concrete, stone, ceramics, metal, plaster, and marble. They differ in size and appearance. You can make unusual compositions from them.
Lanterns
Lanterns are installed to illuminate the area and decorate it. The best places for this are in front of the house, along the paths, next to the recreation area. There are monumental structures made of concrete or stone, and light and exquisite forged ones.
You need to choose products based on style, material and type of food. In sunny regions, solar-powered lanterns are convenient, but classic electrical devices are practical and versatile.
Gazebos, rotundas, pavilions
In large and small areas there is always a place for a gazebo. It will protect from rain, shelter from strong winds and hide from the hot sun. This is a beautiful and practical design for relaxation, which can be used as a central element when arranging relaxation areas on the site. A good place for it is a garden or the shore of a pond. These types of MAFs are made with open or closed walls, with roofs of different shapes, made of metal, wood, stone.
If the area is large, you can install several gazebos or a pavilion. It is convenient if you often plan to gather with a large group to relax with a barbecue or barbecue. For areas in a classic style with a large house, a rotunda is suitable - a round gazebo with supports in the form of columns.
If the recreation area is combined with a living area, then you can attach a canopy made of wood or metal to the house. Combined options look interesting; for example, metal racks can be decorated with fabric. And climbing plants and shrubs planted around the perimeter of the gazebo, pavilion or canopy will additionally decorate the structures and enhance their shelter function.
Pergolas and arches
In order to delimit the territory into separate zones and decorate the site, arches are used. They can be metal, wood, and less often stone or concrete.
They are often covered with climbing vegetation. Several of these connected arches form a pergola. Externally, this structure resembles a green tunnel. It is convenient for dividing an area and creating protection from the sun. For this purpose, this type of MAF is placed between the house and the gazebo or pool.
Bridges and fountains
Bridges can be erected over decorative or designated ponds, as well as dry streams made of stone. Structures can be cast metal, wood or concrete. Fountains can be built in a pond or placed separately. They can be combined with a grotto and a waterfall.
Other forms
There are other types of MAF. The largest and most diverse group are structures used for landscaping the site. These include flower beds, flower beds, and flowerpots.
Uneven terrain can be used to beautifully arrange the territory. For example, you can plant flowers on the slopes, make multi-level flower beds, and for a convenient transition between them, install decorative stairs or simply lay out single steps from stone.
Fencing is also often used in landscape design. They are needed to hide the area from prying eyes, to separate a vegetable garden or recreation area from the main area, or simply for decoration.
Classification of small architectural forms
According to their purpose, small architectural forms can be utilitarian or decorative. Utilitarian elements include all elements that serve to satisfy the needs and create a comfortable stay for a person in the urban environment. These are playgrounds, benches, beach equipment, fences and flower beds, kiosks and pavilions, etc.
A park bench is a typical example of a utilitarian MAF
Also a bench, but this is more of a decorative variety of MAF
Decorative elements are distinguished by their obvious belonging to high art. All kinds of flower beds, combining different arrangements of flowers and plants; stones of different colors laid out in a general pattern in a flower garden, miniature ponds with toy frogs - all these are elements of decorative architectural forms.
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What materials are they made from?
Small architectural forms are made of metal, concrete, wood, fiberglass and other materials. The choice depends on the style in which the design of the entire territory is made, as well as on the desires and capabilities of the owners of the garden or dacha.
Concrete
Concrete is often used to decorate large areas, especially those furnished in a colonial or modern style. Designs made from it are durable, have a luxurious appearance and are practical. Cons: high price and heavy weight. Because of these shortcomings, they are used less often in comparison with wooden decor. Most often, urns, garden sculptures, bridges, fountains and grottoes are made from concrete.
Metal
Metal MAFs are more popular, especially forged products. They are durable, suitable for different styles, but require regular maintenance. Swings, benches, gazebos, arches, bridges and fences are made from metal.
Wood, plywood, logs
Architectural elements made from this material are lightweight, durable and suitable for most garden styles. MAF is usually made from wood:
Such landscape objects go well with country or garden plots arranged in country or landscape style. For their production, not only wood is often used, but also its other derivatives and plant materials - plywood, wicker, logs.
Stone
This material is universal, highly wear-resistant, and is used in different landscape styles. All kinds of small architectural forms are made from it, but most often garden sculptures, fountains, and tables are chosen to decorate areas. The stone is varied in texture and color, which expands the possibilities of its use.
Small architectural forms - definition and varieties
Small architectural forms are elements of street decor (exterior) that are used to create favorable conditions in urban, courtyard and garden areas. Some of them are already known to you, but you will get to know others that came into modern life from the times of antiquity and the Renaissance.
Landscape design of a garden plot consists of many small architectural forms - compositions and structures that perform aesthetic and practical functions
The use of MAF in a garden plot gives the area a certain stylistic direction
Elements of architectural forms:
- Fences and fences.
- Gazebos.
- Flower beds and flower beds.
- City and garden benches.
- Sculptures.
- Fountains.
- Monuments.
- Rotundas.
- Hedges and canopies (pergolas, trellises and berso).
- Monuments.
- Bridges.
A properly selected garden sculpture looks elegant and relevant.
Wood is the most affordable material for the manufacture of small architectural forms; here everything is limited only by your imagination and desire
Small architectural forms (hereinafter referred to as SAF) include not only the elements that decorate the courtyard area of the site. Also, there are city MAFs, which include:
- kiosks without foundation;
- pavilions;
- telephone booths;
- lighting poles;
- benches;
- flower beds;
- squares and parks.
In any well-maintained recreation park there are many small architectural forms
Contemporary art is capable of creating interior and exterior items from ordinary things. In cities of different countries, on the streets and squares you can find unique and inimitable elements of mafas that are unique to this place. They characterize this particular city; their distinctive features are recognized in all corners of the world.
The famous English telephone booth is red. It has gained great popularity due to its unique design. Its elements and images are used in printing for photo wallpaper, ceramic tiles, clothing and paraphernalia.
The red color of the telephone booth is explained by the climate of England. Bright colors are best seen in the London fog
See alsoDesign of gazebos in different styles.
Styles of small decorative forms
When choosing an MAF for a garden or cottage, it is important that the created composition is harmonious. Unity of style is one of the main requirements when arranging a site. But this does not mean that all objects should have the same design or be only wooden or forged. Using MAF, you can combine several styles in one area. The integrity of the image is also created taking into account:
Existing styles are conventionally divided into three groups - landscape, formal and modern. Each has many separate varieties, but to arrange a site, it is enough to use objects, trends, bright details related to one of them in one area.
Formal styles
They are characterized by strict geometry and straightness, stone and concrete, as well as light natural shades. It is better to choose traditional sculptures, simple gazebos; the central part of the garden can be decorated with a large sculptural composition, and support structures for climbing plants, for example, an arch or a trellis, can be placed in the recreation area.
This landscape group is suitable for a site with a design in Italian or French styles. Therefore, the following elements are suitable for decoration:
Landscape styles
Their peculiarity is naturalness and imitation of wild nature. Elements of free outline, without strict forms, are suitable. All objects must be skillfully integrated into the existing landscape, without disturbing its harmony, but complementing and hiding unattractive details. Decorative grottoes, slides, and arches look good. Natural textures and shapes are suitable for decorating the site.
Common landscape style options are as follows:
Modern trends
These are styles with bright images, catchy details and color accents. Such MAFs are often minimalistic, have non-standard shapes and are functional. Courage and originality are the main characteristics of a group of styles, but each has its own characteristics:
The rustic style is especially evident in the Dutch garden design. It is characterized by wells, carts, mills, rocking chairs and hammocks. Flower beds usually have geometric shapes and are arranged in an orderly manner on the site. Their severity is diluted by pastoral details of rural life.
Bridges, gazebos, benches, lanterns and other small architectural forms complement and enliven the design of the site, making the area comfortable and well-groomed. With their help, it is convenient to delimit the territory into zones. They are practical and varied, so they are always needed in the country house or garden.
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Arrangement of a cozy garden
In order to make your garden attractive and cozy, you don’t have to spend a lot of money. Sometimes it is enough to make a little effort and spend a small amount of money to create a very original design. It is best to create areas in the garden that will allow you to spend time at the dining table.
These are the so-called recreation areas, which should include a minimum set consisting of:Table - it can be very diverse in shape and size.
Chairs or armchairs. Such garden furniture can be made of either solid wood or rattan.
Moreover, rattan furniture is better suited for the garden, as it can easily withstand minor temperature changes and is not exposed to moisture.
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A design that will help provide shelter from light rain or sun. It can be like a portable umbrella with a large enough canopy. So is the gazebo, which will accommodate a table and chairs for a certain number of people.
It is also necessary to provide an area for cooking. This is a grill or oven.
When the minimum set of these structures is thought out, the owner will be faced with the question of how and where to place it all. For landscape design of the yard, it will be necessary to prepare a place, which, as a rule, is paved with garden stones or tiles.
To decide how to design your individual plot, it is still worth considering numerous photos of small architectural forms. They will give you an idea of what the planned space might look like.Decorative mill for a summer residence: master class
When everything is prepared, it's time to get started. In this case, the platform is a hexagon. It can be assembled from boards or lining. A shovel handle is perfect for a log house; it needs to be sawed into pieces of equal length and notches made, as shown in the photo.
First, you need to attach 3 cuttings to this platform with self-tapping screws, which are divided in half lengthwise. Next, 6 metal rods are attached to them and at the same time to the platform. They will be used to assemble the base. To do this, in each “log” from the shovel handle you need to drill two holes with a drill, why put these blanks on these rods.
To prevent the lower base from being on the ground, from rotting and from hinting, you need to place it on a foundation or attach legs to it. They can be made from wood or PVC pipe.
For the second option, you need to take four pieces of pipe of the same size, insert a block into each, and secure it with self-tapping screws. Next, these legs are attached to the base of the decorative mill. As a result, wooden surfaces will not touch the ground and rot.
In this option, the base must be made in a simpler way than in the previous one, using 20 mm thick lining.
If you are making a hexagonal mill from the handle of a shovel, then cover its base on top with a figure of the same shape made from boards. If you use the second idea for construction, then secure clapboard or boards on top of the base so that they form a rectangle. We install the frame of the upper part on it. To do this, you need to take 4 wooden blocks 1 meter long, place them at a slight angle, and fill the blocks horizontally on top in the shape of a quadrangle so that they secure the top of the frame.
Also attach four bars to the base, the size of this lower square will be approximately 40x40 cm, the upper one 25x25 cm.
For the first option, you need to put 6 bars, squeak them on top with the same number of bars. To do this, use corners and screws.
To make a gable roof, you first need to assemble a frame, then put planks on it. You can cover the roof with soft tiles or other roofing material. All that remains is to make the blades for the mill. To do this, use the following drawings.
Based on them, assemble the blades. Place two slats crosswise and make a hole in the center. The same needs to be done from the end of the roof, then attach the cross here, attach it to the roof with a bolt and washer.
Using small nails, nail the slats onto the blades. Use wooden corners to decorate the joints of the sidewalls and paint the mill with an antiseptic. When it dries, you can install a beautiful structure in the most visible place.
This is what a wonderful decorative mill will be as a result.
You can improve the presented model at your discretion. If you want, cover it with paint of different colors and fence it with a small fence. Such a decorative mill will look beautiful on the site.
If you have tools for working with metal and this material, then you can make a structure from it.
Utilitarian MAFs and their use for decorating private and public areas
The decor of the park area is created exclusively for the beauty and comfortable relaxation of guests. Many of these varieties of small architectural forms are used in private gardens: these are bridges, ladders, fences, gazebos. They are designed to provide comfort and beauty to those who contemplate.
Up, down and across the stream: stairs and bridges
The staircase is used where the garden is laid out on a slope. If there is no obvious slope, but you really want a staircase, then you can make a small flight of stairs where the difference in ground height allows. The photo shows how this solution can be played out.
The material for the steps can be sea pebbles, gravel, wood and frame
Wooden steps are suitable for a country style garden
Bridges span both water and stone streams. The main thing is to fit it organically into the space
Internal and external fencing
Unsightly fences remained in the century before last. Now these are creations worthy of a separate word with a dash of admiration. Fences can be located both around the perimeter of the territory and inside it, as a dividing element or a small fence for a flower bed.
Wooden fences create coziness
Bamboo in the garden is quite atypical for Russian gardens, but it is durable and natural
Swimming pools
The pool was invented a long time ago. Thanks to those people for such a useful solution. On any site or in a park, a swimming pool occupies a worthy place both as a cultivated reservoir and as a swimming area. The decor created around allows you to turn the pool into a paradise with coolness and beautiful surroundings.
You can make a wooden deck around the pool
The elongated shape allows you to fit the pool in a small area
Related article:
Prefabricated frame pools : advantages and disadvantages, features of choice and characteristics, which prefabricated frame pools are easiest to buy, installation nuances - read the publication.
Drinking fountains: relief from thirst on hot days
Installing a drinking fountain in a public area allows visitors to quench their thirst and feel a surge of energy. The appearance of this small architectural form finds a place in a park or garden of any style.
Fountains can be of a modern form, or presented in the form of an ancient sculpture
Equipped playgrounds
Playgrounds are made by different manufacturers and craftsmen. Some people prefer the already familiar look of a yellow-red-blue playground, while others are looking for a creative solution.
A lot of space is needed for such a site.
Playgrounds for adults require the presence of a basketball hoop or a volleyball net, and green spaces are already planted around behind a protective fence.
A gazebo as a comfortable place for mental relaxation
The gazebo is the favorite architectural form of different people. This is a convenient place for privacy, a private conversation, a card game or breakfast. The roof always provides shade, and the railings allow you to feel security and spiritual comfort.
White gazebos don't seem so hot at midday
The gazebo is equipped with a soft corner, benches and a table; lighting inside is very welcome, although the evening light from a street lamp will make the atmosphere intimate.
There are also quite decorative gazebos
The roof of the gazebo sets the tone, and the shape determines the style.
Related article:
You can make elegant gazebos from a variety of materials: simple and beautiful . The photos that you will find in this review demonstrate the best ideas and design solutions.
Landscape furniture: comfort in the garden or park
Just standing and admiring the beauty of landscape design is good, but when you can comfortably sit on a bench under the shade of spreading bushes, then enjoying the view is much more pleasant.
Garden furniture includes all kinds of tables, chairs, benches, and swings. They are made of plastic, wood, concrete, metal, rattan.
The bench should be beautiful and comfortable
Entire corners for relaxation are created from garden furniture
Such furniture will make the park area more attractive in every sense.
Related article:
In our review we will find out how to construct a garden bench with a backrest with your own hands . Drawings and detailed photos will allow you to make the best design.
Devices for trade services: pavilions or kiosks
Trade surrounds us everywhere. You have to come to terms with this, but you can’t agree with the appearance of such tents: only style, only beauty. It’s very possible to combine business with pleasure by decorating a kiosk in a certain genre.
Street lighting: lanterns
Lanterns for landscape lighting come in different types: built-in for the facades of houses, pendant, vertical, underwater. Product designs are varied, prices are also variable. If you want something grandiose, then purchase a number of the same type of lanterns in some desired style and install them in the most advantageous position in terms of illumination of the area in the evening and night hours.
In the daytime, the lantern should also play a decorative role.
The light breaking through the foliage creates magic around
Flashlights can also be small: they are installed directly into the ground, and they run on solar batteries.
Decorative well for a summer residence
This small architectural form will also fit perfectly into the landscape of a summer cottage. The well can be made of wood or used waste materials. See how quickly tires turn into home decor items.
For this craft, a metal wheel axle is not used, however, it should not be thrown away either. Paint this piece white, then apply a design to the surface. Attach this axis to the wall, it will become a real lifesaver for those owners who love order and try to save money. Hang the hose on this metal circle; it will not get tangled and will take up very little space.
Weld three iron rods to the metal coil, put a mesh of the same material on top, the stylish barbecue is ready for use.
If you saw off the side holes in two metal wheel axles with a grinder and place one on top of the other, then you will have a wonderful miniature outdoor stove.
You can look at other options that will help you make crafts from tires for your garden.
In the meantime, let's continue the topic of how to make a decorative well with your own hands. It is also easy to make it from wooden boards.
In this case, the square base has sides of 20 cm, and the height of the well is 60 cm. The smaller part of the roof is 20 cm long, and the larger part is 35 cm long.
Place two wooden posts opposite each other vertically and secure them with one short horizontal one on top. Also, using self-tapping screws, you need to attach one triangle for the roof on both sides.
We also attach beams to the upper part. Please note that these bars are nailed at an angle. They make the structure more durable and roof parts are nailed here.
Attach the boards, and then use a jigsaw to shape their wavy edges or immediately use blanks of this shape.
We make horizontal sides of the decorative well from baseboards that frame the doors or from planks, the corners of which need to be cut at an angle of 45 degrees. It is also necessary to make two holes opposite each other so that there are two vertical posts here.
Make the well gate oval; if there is no tool capable of doing this, take an ordinary wooden rolling pin. You can attach a metal rod here, bent on one side, to make a handle. Or attach a wooden circle that will rotate an improvised rounded log.
Don't forget to cover the decorative well with impregnation or paint it in your favorite color.
Garden bridges - decoration of artificial ponds
Garden bridges are usually wooden or metal architectural structures. The most common option is a combination of these materials, for example, a log bridge with metal railings. The bridge can be curved, flat, with or without railings - it always looks good if there is a pond at the dacha, it makes the area picturesque and attractive.
Nearby you can place a bench and lanterns, which in the evening will not only illuminate the area, but also highlight the water area. You can also use garden sculptures - and you will get a cozy and romantic corner for relaxation.
A beautiful wrought-iron bridge spanning an artificial pond is a wonderful decorative element that gives the garden a special grace.
