To the uninitiated, talk of garden furniture may conjure visions of cheap plastic sunloungers, boring wooden benches or even those lurid floral parasols - the kind that wouldn’t look out of place miniaturised and bobbing up and down in an equally lurid sugary summer cocktail.
The more experienced among us will no doubt have perused the aisles of certain DIY stores, confused by row upon row of bland deckchairs and rickety wooden tables. And then there are the true garden furniture connoisseurs who will certainly have visited high-end garden centres with their landscape architect or interior designer.
We understand that everyone is different, and that every garden is different which is why we have created a range that we believe has something for everyone, from the novice to the expert and from the first-time buyer with a tiny yet cool patio in Peckham, to the owner of a town house in Hampstead with a huge designer garden.
One particular material that is favoured by many garden furniture aficionados for its aesthetic and durability is teak. Unlike lesser woods, its strength means it doesn’t warp as the temperature changes, and thanks to its natural tannins it has a high tolerance to wood rot. These qualities make our carefully designed teak styles, such as the classic reclaimed teak Windsor Bench (below), great investment pieces. We love using reclaimed teak - not only do we think it makes sense to reuse this strong, beautiful material that has already had nearly 100 years of useful life, but we also enjoy knowing that there is such a story behind it (and we hope you do too). You can read more about this wonderful wood in an earlier blog: How Reclaimed Teak Garden Furniture Tells a 100 Year Old Story.
Our Cascade Collection has also been designed to withstand the vagaries of the British climate. The chairs, sunlounger, daybed and garden dining tables are made from sustainably sourced Keruing wood, specially selected for its very hard-wearing and long-lasting properties. What’s more, the chairs fabric is water resistant and has UV protection so it won’t bleach under the sun. Little details are not forgotten – just have a look at the Adirondack Chair (below) which comes with a footstool to aid relaxation and wide armrests that are the perfect place to balance a Pimms or plate of antipasti.
A perennial problem of the British summertime is not being able to count on the weather. One minute it looks fine outside, the next the heavens have opened and, what moments earlier was the appetising lunchtime feast you’d taken hours to prepare is now a soggy and sorry-looking mess. Regardless of whether you are the proud owner of a bijou balcony or large landscaped garden, a stylish, contemporary and high-quality parasol could be the answer.
This month we launch our freestanding Cantilever Parasol (below) which, with its UV stabilised water-repellent cover and rust-proof aluminium stand, it is the perfect way to shield you from the hot sun (if and when it eventually materialises) and protect your picnic from the inevitable summer showers. The Cantilever has the ability to move in a three-dimensional way to better shade you from the elements and the use of aluminium also means the parasol is light and easy to move.
This is just a fraction of our range so please do explore our full designer garden furniture range, which includes rattan lounge sets, stylish and contemporary plastic outdoor dining sets and folding furniture for small spaces. We are very happy to be able to offer our customers the following special discounts on our outdoor furniture - each code can be entered at the checkout and is valid until 31st August 2014:
Windsor Wooden Bench: for £100 off please enter code "teak100"
Cascade Collection: for 15% off the entire range use code "cascade15"
Cantilever Parasol: for £75 off please enter code "sun75"