Gardens can be a space of great beauty and inspirational planting, but they also provide a place to relax and switch off in peace and quiet, to spend time with family, or to enjoy entertaining friends on long summer evenings.
Creating a sense of place and a haven in your garden to relax and unwind is no mean feat and requires a lot of thought, planning and care.
While personal taste and styles vary greatly, one of the key elements to transform your garden into a true oasis is quality outdoor furniture. Garden furniture goes far beyond a practical level of simply providing somewhere to sit. It can also be a statement piece and an eye-catching design feature, and so requires careful consideration to make it part of the wider garden scheme, as a sofa would be to a living room.
With so many options available, leading bespoke furniture creators, Oxenwood, offers some advice on how furniture can be used to create the perfect outdoor living space.
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Understanding the space
The first step in creating a garden haven is to take time to understand the space before making any decisions on design, furniture and floral displays. For newly inherited gardens, this may mean being patient and waiting to see what grows but in others it’s a case of assessing each area, considering what you will use the space for and what ambience you want to create. It may help to think about where you envisage hosting a summer dinner party or where you might like to relax with a book and glass of something chilled, as this will help shape your design.
Creating “rooms”
Distinctly different areas can be created within one garden by using planters, pergolas and an avenue of trees as dividers to add levels, height and structure, as well as partitions and screens.
Furniture can always provide a fantastic means of creating a different feel in each area. For example, a smaller table, like the Oxenwood Aubrey Circular, which was shortlisted for the RHS Chelsea Flower Show Product of the Year, instantly creates a peaceful pocket tucked away on a patio to enjoy coffee and croissants, whilst reading the newspaper on a Saturday morning. In contrast, the larger Hagen, provides the perfect setting for entertaining friends, hosting alfresco dinner parties and relaxing long after sundown.
Cooking up a storm
Outdoor kitchens have become very popular in recent years, and are the next level in barbecuing and alfresco dining. Again, consider placement when creating an outdoor kitchen – being the chef can often be a lonely business at gatherings having to tend to food while guests socialise. Placing an outdoor kitchen on a large terrace with enough space for a dining table too can overcome this. However, the key to a sociable outdoor kitchen is in the design. Oxenwood offers a bespoke design service meaning you can add fridges, extended worktops, sinks and pizza ovens making sure it is far more than just a grilling space, and instead becomes a place for guests to gather.
Make it even more appealing by adding a herb or sensory garden nearby to stimulate all the senses and entice guests over, while ensuring there are fresh herbs for the cooking too!
Built to last
Time spent gathered around a garden dining table enjoying good food and drink while creating memories with others that can be treasured for years to come requires a centrepiece of a table. Something durable and built to last a lifetime, and can even be passed down through families, taking the memories and tales with it.
To boost the longevity, durability and lifespan of a table, Oxenwood recommends sealing furniture, and then re-sealing periodically too. All Oxenwood’s iconic bluestone top tables are pre-sealed with an impregnator sealer that creates a protective invisible film which repels water and oil-based staining agents and makes surfaces easier to clean.
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Luxury furniture manufacturer Oxenwood, creates bespoke furniture for discerning customers. The company specialises in oversized tables, expertly crafted with premium natural materials, such as oak and Belgian Bluestone, and are designed to last a lifetime, gaining depth of character as years pass. Oxenwood is a small family company with sustainability, family values and a personal approach at the heart of everything. The company celebrates entertaining and gardens being a space for socialising and bringing people together. Each piece of Oxenwood furniture is made to order so that each client has the opportunity to create something that suits their style, home and garden.
