I remember a statement by a friend of mine at a party last year after he mentioned he really liked the polished steel, flaming landscape lighting in the garden. When I told him I thought the tiki torches looked cool too, he looked at me like I was an idiot and, in all seriousness, told me, "dude, tiki torches are made out of bamboo and *expletive deleted*."
My friend held to his conviction that tiki torches couldn't be made of anything other than bamboo or natural substances until I showed him the astounding variety available in catalogs. And, yes, even the ones made of steel were labeled as tiki torches. But the discussion didn't stop there because he continued to insist that was an inaccurate moniker as the torches at the party used propane. I corrected him there and showed him propane models as well.
Now the point here isn't that my friend doesn't know his tiki torches. What this exchange convinced me of is that there are probably a lot of people out there with garden lighting in mind who don't give much thought to the idea of a tiki torch for landscape lighting because bamboo, wood or wicker simply doesn't match with the setting they are going for. They feel such a rustic accessory would detract from the contemporary look they want to achieve and, truth told, they're probably right. But there are so many contemporary tiki torch styles available that there's an appropriate style for every landscape imaginable.
For contemporary garden designs, stick with metallic or metal/glass combinations. Steel and aluminum tiki torch models and, to a slightly lesser degree, copper and brass models do a wonderful job of accenting a modern garden design while still allowing you to paint with the magic of firelight. Your real benefit here isn't just the material, which just goes better in a modern setting, but the amazing variety of styles coming out every year. From elegant flutes to pans and squat bulbous shapes, metal tiki torches really just steal the show in their elegance and creativity.
One model tiki torch I'm particularly fond of incorporates both contemporary metals and rustic woods and is accented with a satinized glass top. The pole is a rich, dark mahogany and the fluted top is stainless steel. The amazing combination results in a tiki torch that is both functional and artistic enough to merit being its own conversation piece.
So regardless your garden design, don't discount outdoor torches as a stylish, modern looking means of adding a bit of night time magic to your setting. Their ease of installation will do a great deal to offset the expense you'd face with installed landscape lighting and you're sure to be pleased with the results.
For more on tiki torch styles, visit our post on Tiki Torch Selections!
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[...] Among other blogs, David writes for tikitorchesguide.com, a blog devoted to the care and maintenance of tiki torches and how to incorporate tiki torches in garden design. [...]
[...] Among other blogs, David writes for tikitorchesguide.com, a blog devoted to the care and maintenance of tiki torches and how to incorporate tiki torches in garden design. [...]
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