Our garden benches and plant stands incorporate a few design features I want to highlight. The first is the batten which you see peeking out at either end of the bench tops in the picture to the right. The slats of the bench top or garden stand are fastened to these battens. The battens are then screwed to the frame. The battens are what make the tops appear to “float.”
This is a very secure method of construction. It allows the slats to move with changes in humidity without damaging the bench frame. Besides the structural benefits of a floating top, I’ve always liked its look.
The other feature to notice–and we use it on all the benches and stands we build–is the edge profile, shown here:
This edge profile is a combination of a round over and an angled undercut that removes the hard edge usually found on outdoor furniture; it has a nice feel and it gives the bench top a lighter look besides. It’s pretty simple to make (though it takes more time to produce than the typical straight edge).
As well as being easier on the hands, these two features make our benches and tables a little more visually interesting.
{ 7 comments… read them below or add one }
Gorgeous products! As soon as I move out of the proverbial “starving artist” category, I’ll be back to furnish my backyard!
Cheers,
Nicole Hyde
Do you make a chair that fits with your new dining table?
Hi Charlotte:
We don’t have a chair for the dining table yet. I’ve actually just designed a garden bench with a back that might morph into a chair. And I’m also working on a new design for a larger dining table (55″ square) that will allow us to ship it without excessive cost. Just check back from time-to-time. Hope to have some of this up on the site soon. Lots of ideas but not enough time!
Thanks for the inquiry.
Kevin
I think I would like to see if you could fabricate a console table that is basically a combination of the four table legs from the 54″ table and either the bench slats or no top thus allowing me to place a stone top as an alternate surface.
I LIKE YOUR SITE, TYPEPAD IS USING YOUR SITE AS AN EXAMPLE. HAVE YOU HAD GOOD LUCK WITH BLOGGING.
Great furniture!! The chairs are really distinctive, and I especially like the artistry involved in the design. Do you have a desire to market these outside your area? We’d be interested in carrying them in our shop and in our webstore!
Great looking outdoor furniture. I really like the plant stands.