would otherwise be an altogether stiff pattern." Other modernist garden designs followed, using plain metal or glass mirror globes; notable examples included several roof top gardens developed by Department Stores in London, America and Australia. The gazing ball suited the geometric clean lines of the Art Deco style especially the visual connection with the chrome plating which was part of the Streamline-moderne aesthetic of the 1930s and 1940s – so much so in fact that they became identified in many people's minds as an invention of the 1930s. Subsequently, many people in the 1950s and afterwards viewed them as a bit tacky; an example of prosaic suburban taste of the interwar period on a level with garden gnomes – they have never quite regained status. See also Kugel ball Garden ornament Front yard Christmas ornament Crystal ball References Garden ornaments Balls