Fanfare For The Outside Chair

Prepared for:
Prepared by: MERGEFIELD First samantha chaplin

Somewhere to sit in your garden is a necessity in June and as Samantha Chaplin explains there is

so much more to consider then when buying the interior equivalent.

A bench is just like a sofa. The placing of an armchair is as integral to a living room as much as a

garden seat can complete a paved area or secluded nook of the garden. Certainly the view from

either is an utmost consideration. However the extra dimensions of weather, lack of available

choice, a changing seasonal view and for many of us issues of privacy make the choosing and

subsequent placing of an outside seat in order to enjoy the simple pleasure of a rest in the fresh

air an involved one.

As early as medieval times seats, then made of turf, occupied a considered position amongst

arbors or by fountains. A simple combination of flesh and bones meeting grass and the elements

and not much cause to furrow an antediluvian brow. A historic increase of garden seat quality

followed which progressed to a complexity of choices from there on in. From the glorious decision

of detail in Baroque times where all that ornamentation and vigor was bound to bring about a

seventeenth century hissy fit, to a quick succession of choice with highly prized Portland Stone,

succeeded by lead and then wrought iron splendor which then all too hastily declined to the skin

sticking popularity of white plastic.

The years have been unkind to discerning consumers and have done little to resolve the

complexity of todays choice. With a few exceptions like: the Philippe Starck "Bubble Club Sofa",

surprisingly affordable for those with contemporary tastes or Steve Myburghs Mood Swing

collection. The market is flooded with stale traditionalism where conformity is only swapped for

lots of cash and any affordable originality is played out within an inch of our outside living lives,

as the current mode for plastic,modular basket weave demonstrates. The need for future

innovation and creative uses of old and new materials is pressing, but so is the need to enjoy our

gardens from a seating position right now, this month. And if you have seating already and your

happy with it congratulations you should now concentrate on something less puzzling like the

connections between sound vibrations and physical reality. For those of us who may want to re-
think the current position of an existing seat or the investment in new or additional places to perch

you really ought to be flummoxed by contemplation because every requirement seems too

impossible to resolve, leaving many of us happy to catch our breath whilst are ears are tickled by

our underclothing. Right seat, right location is a simple enough hypothesis but enjoying the

morning sun in your nightwear, avoiding a view from the neighbors whilst treating your backside

to the appropriate amount of dry morning comfort on furniture that harmonizes with your chosen

garden style spins your head with trickiness. Should your chosen furniture not brave the elements

and you dont have sufficient storage then the right seat has eluded you once again as you are

going to have to conduct a winter heist by bagging up your seat like a robber and even if it is

forest green that cover has no consequence to good design. Any move towards durability will

automatically reduce your choice of material and probably increase your cost too. Add the

consideration of a Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) approved sourcing and you will want to make

do with dragging the nearest seat from within your home everytime you feel the need for outside

repose.

Part of the answer is to have previously included the location(s) of seating areas within a

masterplan of your design. For those of us who design as we go you may want to consider the

following classification to help your decision making. Seats can be divided by style, materials and

form but in order to decide on where to put it a good starting point is think about its hide & seek

qualities. Do you want the chair to be immediately seen and then subsequently sought or do you

intend to happen upon it ? Which in a small garden could be the basis of the entire design.

June is the month to provide sensible outside accommodation of your rear in order to encourage

suitable garden rest and lengthy repose. Finding a sunny place for where the sun doesn't shine is

its own conundrum, but puzzle the answer to the question and the resulting flourishing success

will provide harmony between seat, surroundings and view to great affect.

DATE \@ "d MMMM yyyy" 11 June 2010

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