Jun 17th 2021
5 Classic Focal Points to Enhance your Landscape
Throughout history, focal points have been a key element in garden design. What makes each landscape stand out as an intentionally designed and inviting space is strategically placed focal point elements. Focal points are a way to attract and direct the eye when entering or walking through a garden and emphasize a particular element. When intentionally placed, focal points can enhance any space by creating a sense of purpose, direction, and flow.
Kenneth Lynch & Sons has three generations of expertise in garden ornamentation and craftsmanship, working with landscape designers in sourcing the ideal elements for their projects. Take a look at our top five most recommended elements for creating a classic focal point in your next landscape project.
Statuary
Statuary is one of the best ways to bring life and personality to a garden for year-round impact. Statuary pieces often set the tone for the outdoor space in response to each statue’s unique expression, size, and style. When placing a piece of statuary strategically as the focal point, the vista will help guide the experience and act as an anchor for the garden’s energy, inviting the visitor to explore more.
Top left: Four Seasons Statue. Top right: La Brezza. Bottom: Four Season Cherubs in Wickham Park, Manchester, CT.
Fountains add a balanced touch of structure and elegance to an outdoor space and they are one of our favorite additions to any garden. Aside from their classical aesthetic, fountains add a natural element of unmatched tranquility through the soothing sounds of flowing water. Both tiered fountains and wall fountains set in a central garden location will act as a point of interest, enhancing the garden’s natural beauty.
Top left: Dancing Girl Wall Fountain. Top right: Skipper with Jug - @jhillenmeyer. Bottom: Classical Tiered Fountain.
Pedestals are an easy element to add to gardens of any form, shape, and style, while also creating an opportunity for a personal touch in the intricate design of an urn or colorful choice of flowers in a planter. The combination of these pieces can create a single central focal point when placed in the middle of a garden, or add symmetry and reinforce sight lines when paired as double elements. Pedestals also make great focal points by adding height and dimension to a garden creating a more dramatic view.
Top left: Finial with Fruit. Top right: Lead Cherub Urn. Bottom: Rectangular Lion Planter.
Sundials & Armillary Sundials
One of the most classic elements of a landscape is the sundial, an instrument used before the invention of the clock. Despite its rare use today as a purely functional element, sundials and armillary spheres are incorporated into outdoor spaces to provide a dramatic historical design element. When strategically placed as a focal point, sundials add drama and establish a sense of importance in their place in the garden.
Top left: Classic Armillary Sundial - @richardanderson_la. Top right: Atlas with Horizontal Sundial. Bottom: Classic Armillary Sundial in Nashville, Tennessee.
Seating Areas
When paired with a pop of color, a seating area can double as an inviting and functional focal point. The central location of a garden can become a beautiful spot to enjoy your outdoor landscape with inviting outdoor furniture, colorful cushions, and accent flowers. For larger landscape projects, benches and lounge chairs can accentuate pathways or create garden rooms for a more private experience. No matter the size of the landscape project, strategically placed seating areas provide a place for visitors to linger and enjoy the surrounding landscape.
Top left: Florentine Classics lounge chairs with customized cushions - @jeffreynyceh. Top right: Neoclassical Arm Chairs. Bottom: Star and Dolphin Double Settee with Star and Dolphin Arm Chair.
Explore products and projects
Estate Elements Collection of garden ornamentation
Florentine Classics Collection of outdoor furniture
Lynch Urban Seating Collection of park seating and furnishings
