Garden totems are popping up everywhere, bringing a blast of personality to outdoor spaces. These vertical sculptures can be crafted from glass, ceramic, wood, or mosaics, offering a unique way to add art among the flowers. Whether you’re a DIY enthusiast ready to create your own or prefer to buy a ready-made masterpiece, these eye-catching accents are a fantastic garden trend.
What exactly is a garden totem, anyway?
You can find garden totems made from a variety of materials like glass, pottery, wood, and mosaic, whether you build them yourself or buy them. But what defines a garden totem? Most people are familiar with totem poles, which are monumental sculptures carved from huge trees to tell stories of native heritage. The concept of a spirit animal, or totem animal, is also widely known. But a garden totem?
Frankly, it seems a DIY creator probably stacked some glass pieces together and coined the term. It’s a fantastic concept that has now become a notable gardening trend. You can even find garden totems for sale from online retailers like Plow & Hearth. Whether you decide to make your own or purchase one, a garden totem is a wonderful accent for any garden. For a DIY project, scour thrift stores, yard sales, or even your own cupboards. You finally have a purpose for all those florist vases you’ve been collecting. Time to design your own garden totem.
Glass Garden Totem Ideas
Experiment with various shapes, sizes, and colors when creating your garden totems. This layering of different elements gives them a wonderful texture and visual interest.
If you’d rather not take the DIY route, pre-assembled garden totem designs are available for purchase at Plow & Hearth.
These towering garden totem concepts are so striking. Notice how the totem on the left incorporates an inverted compote glass. This is the kind of creative thinking you need for a DIY project, considering pieces from every angle, whether right side up, upside down, or sideways.
For a surprising nighttime element, try adding a solar light to the top of your garden totem.
This delightful garden totem features a wine glass as a crown and is adorned with hanging beads. Let your creativity run wild with your designs. It doesn’t cost much to gather an assortment of old, mismatched glasses, vases, and plates.
Glass is such a perfect accent for any garden, and DIY glass totems become especially captivating when you incorporate unusual and unexpected pieces.
For those who prefer not to build their own, these stunning metallic glass ball garden totems are available for purchase.
Think outside the box by placing smaller glasses inside larger ones or using plates upside down. Unleash your imagination when assembling your garden totems.
Try using teacups as toppers and plates to create stable bases for your unique totem structures.
Mosaic Garden Totem Designs
Creating mosaic designs for your garden totems requires a more deliberate and planned-out process.
This particular mosaic garden totem has a look that is almost reminiscent of beautiful Millefiori glass.
Applying glass pieces to a PVC pipe is an excellent way to achieve a stained-glass effect for your home’s entryway.
This charming patio garden totem is cleverly designed to evoke the appearance of a lighthouse.
Here is a more complex garden totem that masterfully blends mosaics with mirror work, utilizing a variety of shapes, colors, and textures.
Ceramic & Sculptural Garden Totems
These ceramic garden totems are true works of art. The combination of a soft and glossy finish is particularly beautiful.
Playful and whimsical garden totems can serve as excellent conversation starters. The right style will depend on the overall feel of your garden or patio.
The use of ceramic faces can result in a more thought-provoking and almost haunting garden totem.
What a darling concept! A stack of vintage teapots creates a wonderful garden totem. You could use a teapot that belonged to your mother or grandmother, making it a touching tribute to the past. And look at the sweet parakeets perched on top.
These delightful pieces showcase an array of charming animals, including birds, dogs, cats, and fish.
If you have pottery skills, crafting your own ceramic garden totems like these would be a wonderfully natural project for you.
This collection stands out as one of the most compelling and diverse examples of sculptural garden art.
Wooden Garden Totem Designs
These vividly painted wooden garden totems introduce a fantastic burst of color into any garden setting.
Your totem poles can be decorated with bright paint or feature elaborate and detailed carvings.
Painted wooden garden totems offer a wonderful opportunity for personalization and unique expression.
Peace poles are a popular garden trend that has gained a following in locations all across the globe.
Carved Peace Poles provide another beautiful method for promoting a message of peace directly from your garden.
The entire movement of peace poles in gardens began with The Peace Pole Project.
