Our spring season this year stuck around for about as long as a Leafs playoff run. With summer finally here, most of us are indulging in the precious ritual of soaking up the warm temps in our gardens and backyards.
I’m not big on pushing a lawn mower, so my dream backyard has to be an interesting space with very little maintenance. A patio should, like your home, be as luxurious as possible and a reflection of your personal taste. You should concentrate on providing a sense of seclusion with a low brick wall or a hedge to distinguish your terrace from your garden or your neighbour’s property. The patio is a place where pots can be most effective to house shrubs and plants. If you find that clay pots are too earthy or common, simply whitewash them or use fiberglass pots that now come in large scale for a sense of drama. A simple fountain on the wall, with no more than a trickle of water into a tub or stone scoop, will emphasize a cool, shady atmosphere.
When considering furniture, try to avoid plastic and choose teak, which weathers to a nice grey, or go with a slate tabletop for an elegant look while able to withstand the elements. For chairs, there are lots of variations out there, but I think it’s interesting to use vintage wood and metal folding chairs, which can be sourced in vintage shops or on E-bay.
To complete the design, consider adding a simple luxury such as outdoor speakers. Connect them to your home stereo and control your music selection from your patio lounger with a Bluetooth transmitter connecting your iPod to your home stereo system.
Have design dilemmas? Please email me at [email protected] and maybe I can offer some advice to steer you in the right direction.
Teak Furniture is a great option with which to furnish a garden. Seeing this type of furniture in a garden just leads the mind to think of rest and recreation.
If you plan to leave the furniture outside all year round, you must ensure that it is robust enough to withstand extremes of weather. The specification for the materials construction and finish needs to be very different from that of pieces for interior use. The most obvious choice of material for outdoor furniture is Teak Wood. It feels and looks naturally sympathetic since it was once alive itself.
Suitable durable timbers like slow-growing teak being by far the most beautifull and expensive. However, due to the enormous upsurge of demand for garden products, there is an increasing demand for teak products.
Do support the cause of conservation by buying only those timbers that can be guaranteed to come from licensed plantation sources.
Malkit Ram
Publisher, allteakboutique.com