This may be a bit "out there" but you mentioned "lolly columns" which I assume are some form of metal support - what about carving a painting styrofoam (the dense kind) and sticking it over the pipe to form an elven carved column (the movies may provide good reference for elvish columnar design). Of course it will make the upright bigger, more susceptible to bumping, which would be bad for the styrofoam. Hence way "out there."
I also found this Yahoo Q, which includes a link that may be helpful:
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/in...1122128AAFWBsc