by Justin Page

Created on: June 12, 2008   Last Updated: June 27, 2008

Decorative fountains, those things that sit in the front yard or perhaps the living room, and shoot or drip water from an orifice or orifices into a basin. You've seen them indoors and outdoors. They range from the incredibly cheap to the outrageously expensive. Many think fountains add just the right touch to the home or garden. Others insist they are peaceful. So what's the deal with these seemingly simple inventions that folks find so appealing?

Fountains fall into two categories. There are indoor fountains and there are outdoor fountains. They can be made of a number of materials, some of which include but are not limited to natural stone, gemstone, pietro stone, and copper. They can be free standing, tall, short, stout, skinny, or even floating. Fountains made for outside are generally larger, and made out of sturdier material such as stone. Indoor fountains are usually on the smaller to medium side, and they are often made of cheaper material such as fiberglass. However, copper is popular inside, too.

Outdoors you can find fountains in a variety of places. Floating fountains are often found in ponds. A large stone fountain may set the scene in one's garden, or at the homes entrance. There might be a medium sized copper fountain on a patio, where it is safe from water stains, or a bright green one along a walkway.

Indoor fountains can be spotted throughout the house. These fountains are on the smaller side, but that rule is not definitive. You might see a small fountain on a coffee table in the living room. They are popular in bathrooms as well as bedrooms. A river-stone fountain may even occupy any given corner of the house. The general rule for fountains is there isn't a general rule. Once purchased, a buyer can put the thing wherever they please.

Whether it is an indoor or outdoor fountain, when one place's the right fountain in the right spot, it can really set a scene for beauty. This in itself can add a peacefulness to the viewer beyond that which some describe as coming from the sound of water flowing. It is true that the sound of water flowing is peaceful to certain ears, however almost all can find pleasure in a nicely arranged scene that makes the world seem to be in order and a better place to be in.

Fountains range in price from a fifty dollar department store brand to four or five thousand dollar designer brands and they can even exceed that price. The price can be affected by things such as size, materials, and of course, brand name. Although this is not always true, indoor fountains are generally cheaper than the outdoor variety. This is due to them being on the smaller size coupled with the fact that they don't have to be as sturdy as fountains which will be exposed to the elements. For this reason outdoor fountains require hardier materials like real stone, which is more expensive. They are also larger in size and take more materials to construct.

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