Fairy Yardmother Landscape Design: Elements -- Seating

Fairy Yardmother Landscape Design

by Kathy Oberg, Landscape Designer, Central Coast CA.
FairyYardmother[at]gmail[dot]com

Thank you for visiting my site. I enjoy bringing you pictures of gardens, plants, and ideas from sunny California. I love sharing after-photos that show how my landscape plans, plant lists and layouts come to life.
As a designer, I use plants to create drama, provide color and form, and compliment the architectural style of your home.

I strive to provide a buffer from sun, street, and neighbors while still fostering connections.
Inspired plant choices and site layout can make any space a success.

I am a Certified Watershed Wise Professional, with techniques to improve soil health and keep more water on your property.
I can help you makeover your patio, paths, planting areas, or entire property. I will consult with you, choose a look you love, and compose a plan and plant list to update your landscape, re-using what you already have wherever we can.

Each project is different because it is about making your space really shine.

Sunday, September 5, 2010

Elements -- Seating

Seating in the garden is a necessity, and many different sorts of seating certainly compliment and enhance a great garden. There are benches cast from concrete or built of stone or wood, built-in or free-standing. There are comfy wicker chairs or folding cafe chairs around a dining table, and outdoor sofas, loveseats and beds.

The purpose of seating includes bringing people together for dining al fresco, gathering around a fire pit, or having a conversation. A bench or pair of chairs can also serve as a focal point or destination in the garden, sometimes more to draw the eye than the sitter. A well-placed bench can allow one to take in a view, admire the sunset or an area of the garden that is especially picturesque. Seating placed in a hidden nook can lead visitors to enjoy a special feeling of seclusion or a lovely moment of holding hands with one another. Two simple benches placed in such a spot, directly across from each other, invite two couples to share an intimate conversation, their knees almost touching.

Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times

Seating areas are another occasion to bring color and elements of style into the garden. An abundance of opportunities present themselves when we design and augment our gardens. We should never underestimate the effects an inspiring outdoor space can have on our psyches!

Planning a seating area is an opportunity to create a magical space where people want to be. Different forms of seating in various settings can influence what people actually do in the space, how they experience it, and what they see, smell, and hear. Senses come into play when we place a fountain near a seating area, or plant fragrant plants, or place seating in such a way to frame a pleasing view. Emotions and moods can even be affected. Finding oneself seated in a quiet nook, for instance, can be calming, and invite reflection or the revelation of secrets. Diversely, seated in front of an expansive view of the horizon, one can feel open and rejuvenated, able to breathe deeply and let small matters fall away, literally gaining a new perspective.