Rust is making a comeback on the ‘house and garden’ scene. Not that it ever departed, but it’s returned with a difference. Rust is the new décor glamour queen!

Creative urban rust

Once upon a time every Australian yard had an old wheelbarrow seeing out its twilight years as a geranium planter. Well, now they’re back in vogue. A new movement called industrial styling is repurposing old objects that have happened to oxidise with grace. Rusty old push bikes have become garden ornaments, with dandelions growing through their spokes. Corroded paint tins and oil drums are grouped together as industrial-strength garden urns. A little creativity and a few old ‘rust buckets’ can result in an interesting urban space. Original, yes. But glamorous? Not exactly.

Chunky architectural rust

Metal plates of COR-TEN or ‘weathering steel’ have been popping up all over, in warehouse conversions and urban developments. Architects have fallen in love with the stuff. It is plate steel that contain special alloys which cause a rust-like layer to form on the surface. This beautiful russet coating slows down the corrosion of the metal to a veritable crawl. Across the country, on-trend homes are acquiring heavy COR-TEN steel doors that run on rails, while edgy urban gardens are exhibiting rust-red COR-TEN panels in artistic shapes. But it’s not for everyone, being glamorous in a ‘Mad Max’ kind of way.

Gorgeous furniture with rust

For decades galvanised steel has been used to create hand-forged garden furniture, ranging from the purely functional to the truly lovely – treasures of the metalworkers’ craft. More often than not it’s natural grey colour was painted over, only to start flaking off in a few short years. Not any more. A new, permanent coating has been developed to dress up galvanised furniture, and among the colours available is a natural russet brown. It can even be applied with the antiqued patina of rust. The effect is a knock-out! Delicate metal furniture rendered a dark, red-brown is as glamorous as outdoor furniture can get. While it sits perfectly at home in a natural setting, its rust-like drama makes it stand out from the crowd. This is metal furniture with pizzazz.

Russet garden features

With the advent of GRC (glass reinforced concrete), decorative rust is no longer confined to products made of steel. GRC is a stone-like material that can be moulded into garden planters, fountains and statues, and imbued with a rust-like colour, including an antiqued finish. These beautiful, ‘rusted’ objects lend a sense of antiquity to a garden, while at the same time creating dramatic focal points.

Dark, magical fountains! Captivating urns! Statues that appear to have withstood time and weather for centuries!

Now we’re talking glamour, both urban and otherwise.

Image Credit: © Yardware