This Old House Reviews Team

Lawn ornaments are a simple way to decorate your yard. Read more about our favorite options here.

 

Buying Guide

Considering the following factors will help you make an informed lawn ornament purchase.

• Type:Lawn decorations encompass a wide variety of products, including gnomes, fountains, statues, signs, bird baths, and more. Some will be purely for decoration, while others will have a functional purpose, such as lighting your pathway or scaring off unwanted animals. Ultimately, how you decorate your lawn is up to you, and there are plenty of lawn ornament choices no matter your interest or price range.
• Size:Some ornaments take up lots of space in your yard, while others can fit compactly on a table or shelf. How big your lawn is and how many other decorations you already have will help you determine what size ornament fits best.
• Design:The right lawn ornament should match the atmosphere you’re trying to create in your home and yard. Some ornaments fit better in a rustic-style home, while others have a more modern aesthetic. Additionally, you can find ornaments that match your personality whether that’s classy and elegant or cute and funny.
• Maintenance:Many lawn ornaments don’t require any maintenance other than the occasional wiping. However, others, especially those used by animals, such as bird baths or bird feeders, may require weekly or even daily cleaning.
• Material:Lawn ornaments can come in a wide range of materials, including wood, plastic, metal, stone, glass, and concrete. Consider the fragility of the ornament before purchasing it if you have an active home with children or pets.

 

Tips for Decorating Outdoors

Exterior decoration is sometimes overlooked, but having a plan for how to decorate your lawn can make your home feel more welcoming and lived-in. When you’re deciding what lawn ornaments and other outdoor decorations to get, keep these tips in mind:

• Stick with a theme:Just like you would if you’re decorating your kitchen or bathroom, your outdoor space should have pieces that complement each other. If you have wooden outdoor furniture, for example, choose lawn ornaments with a rustic theme.
• Use lighting to set a mood:Enhance the mood of your outdoor living space by using creative lighting. Well-placed fireplace lights, lawn ornament lights, or pathway lights can make your outdoor space feel warm and inviting.
• Add some color:While too much color can be distracting, don’t be afraid to spice up your lawn or porch with some vibrant decorations that complement your green yard.
  Enhance your walkway: Walkways are what your guests will see as they enter your home, so it’s your first chance to make an impression. Use lighting along the pathway as well as plants or ornaments to fill the space adjacent to the path.
• Don’t overdo it:While it can be tempting to overload your lawn with decorations, a few nice pieces will go a long way. Too many decorations can make your yard look cluttered.

 

 

FAQs

How do you anchor lawn ornaments?

Lawn ornaments may come with stakes that secure them into the ground. Others can be filled with rocks or sand to weigh them down. However, many lawn decorations are heavy enough to simply stand on their own.

Where should you put lawn ornaments?

You can place most lawn ornaments anywhere, including in your yard, on your porch, in your garden, or on your deck. Some lawn ornaments may work better in specific locations. For example, placing a bee house in your garden ensures that the bees pollinate your plants.

Can you get different lawn ornaments for different times of year?

Yes. Just like you decorate your home for different holidays or seasons, you can also switch out your lawn ornaments.

Do HOA rules apply to lawn ornaments?

Some homeowner’s associations (HOAs) have restrictions regarding the size or type of lawn ornaments you can display. Check your local HOA to see what is and isn’t allowed. Generally, if your lawn ornaments are inoffensive, moderately sized, and kept in your fenced yard, you can display them.

 

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This Old House has empowered homeowners for more than four decades with top-notch home improvement content in the form of television programs, print media, and digital content on its website and social media platforms. The This Old House Reviews Team focuses on creating in-depth product and service review content to help inform your purchasing decision for just about any item or resource that you might need for your home. The This Old House Reviews Team has written over 1,000 reviews on products in the home space, from cordless drills to kitchen trash cans, lawn mowers, and dining room decorations.

We recommend products in each review using an intensive research process, spending hours combing through the best available models on Amazon. For a product to make our list of top picks, it must hold a solid sales record on Amazon, have consistently positive customer reviews, and offer unique features, among other factors. After narrowing down our list of recommendations, we conduct additional research and sometimes in-person testing to ensure that the products meet our standards. Once we conclude the research phase, we craft a well-rounded, user-friendly article that includes our recommended products and additional information to help homeowners like you make the right purchase.

 

 

The This Old House Reviews Team provides overviews of select products that are top-selling on Amazon and/or popular in consumer searches. Our team evaluates the products based on industry research, consumer reviews, pricing data, hands-on testing in select cases, and other objective criteria unique to a given product line. Unless otherwise noted, these product reviews are intended to help inform buying decisions for DIY or other non-pro users only. Editor’s picks are made by members of the This Old House Reviews Team.