| Decorative garden wall plaques take their inspiration | | | | the companies that sell the plaques advertise them |
| from ancient Greek are. Wall plaques were usually | | | | as both. |
| made of marble and were usually brightly colored | | | | Many of them still follow classic design motifs with |
| with classic designs. | | | | lots of animals, nature scenes, and also scenes from |
| The ancient Greeks had an abundance of marble and | | | | mythology. More and more, however, less classical |
| were fond of using it in making decorative wall | | | | themes are being employed in both the wall hangings |
| hangings. These were usually carved with intricate | | | | and the stepping stones. School emblems have |
| scenes of Gods or nature. Although most of the | | | | become popular as well as cartoon characters. When |
| examples that are seen today have long since lost | | | | used as indoor wall hangings, the designs fit well with |
| their brightly painted colors to age, a few have been | | | | most decorative interior design styles. Cottage style |
| preserved to show that the Greeks preferred to | | | | décor is complimented with decorative garden |
| paint over the stone with very bright colors. The | | | | wall plaques because so many designs feature nature. |
| decorative garden wall plaques that are becoming | | | | Decorative plaques used as stepping stones differ |
| popular today follow this classic Greek idea. | | | | from the more common paving stones in both the |
| Decorative garden wall plaques in the modern era | | | | intricacy of their designs, but also in the quality of the |
| were also often made from marble or other | | | | stone used. As was mentioned, expensive and |
| expensive stone. For a long time the style was to | | | | durable stones such as marble are most often used. |
| not use bright colors. The stone slabs, although | | | | This makes the price quite a bit above the more |
| intricate in design, would be generally plain in color. | | | | common variety paving stones used in gardens. |
| This was to copy what was perceived as the Greek | | | | When used as a stepping stone rather than a wall |
| classical style because most pieces had long since lost | | | | hanging, the plaques are generally used to accent a |
| their color to the effects of aging. In the garden, the | | | | particular central part of the garden rather than |
| wall plaque often was used as an identifying marker | | | | create long walkways. When longer paved walkways |
| that denoted the garden's owner. | | | | are wanted, the common variety paving stones |
| Recent decorative wall plaques have tended to | | | | serve best for cost considerations. However, when |
| abandon the idea of unpainted stone and returned to | | | | you are willing to add some real class and style to |
| bright colors. Although they are sometimes used | | | | your garden or to the interior décor of your |
| indoors as wall hanging, their use in the garden | | | | home, the decorative plaques certainly justifies its |
| continues. In the garden, they are used both as wall | | | | higher cost. |
| hangings or sometimes as stepping stones. Many of | | | | |