Posts Tagged ‘Garden Accessories’

I’ve recently been introduced to Iron Fire, a Wiltshire-based company who use an ancient Japanese technique for preserving wood called Shou Sugi-ban.

The process, traditionally used for cladding, makes the timber extremely durable, which means that it can stay outside all year round.  It protects it from rot, parasites and UV and it’s also fire resistant.

Each table is made using sustainably sourced FSC approved Douglas Fir.  The process involves burning with traditional hand waxing, painting and turning which means that each piece of furniture is unique. – which preserves the wood and protects it from rot and parasites, and ironically makes it UV and fire resistant.

I have a couple of garden bugbears, washing lines being left out when not in use being one of them! The other is covering up garden furniture in the winter or taking it inside.

Garden furniture is made to stay outside – it’s an integral part of any sitting area so it should be there even when you’re not.  When you look out, even on the bleakest of days, you should be drawn outside.  Looking at a lump of tarpaulin or an empty terrace probably won’t have quite the same effect.

Perhaps this furniture from Iron Fire provides the perfect solution. Even the cushions for the chairs have undergone rigorous waterproof testing, although I might forgive taking the cushions in over winter as long as you leave the chairs outside!

So much of the garden furniture on the market has a similar look and feel so it’s really nice to find something a little bit different.

In addition to the furniture, Iron Fire also make industrial style fire pits, planters and pendant lights of which you can see a full range on their website.

(Images: Iron Fire)

After a few weeks of dry, sunny days, I can safely say that the world has woken up and started to think about their gardens again.  It’s funny how we “park” all the jobs outside over the winter months, even if we didn’t really intend to. Read more

I popped into our local garden centre last week and was horrified to see that they were already clearing the shelves and getting ready for the Christmas decorations.  In September, really? Read more

I’ve started feeding the birds now that it’s finally getting a bit colder.  We get so many more species than we did in Leatherhead including woodpeckers, tree creepers and even a fat pheasant who seems to have successfully avoided the fortnightly shoot so far! Read more

I’ve written about Cox & Cox before as I love their products and garden accessories. This Christmas they have some gorgeous lighting products for the garden to make it really festive. Read more

I have recently been in touch with Black Country Metal Works.  They’re a family run company based in Shropshire and home to the country’s largest outdoor display of decorative metal work, as well as the county’s only interactive forge offering visitors the opportunity to learn more about the craft of metalworking. Read more

I’ve recently come across Mia Fleur, a family run online boutique selling gorgeous garden and interior products which are partly designed and handmade by them in the UK and partly sourced from British designer makers combined with a selection of home accessories and gifts which have been sourced from the UK and abroad. Read more

I’ve recently been introduced to La Hacienda who specialise in stylish and affordable garden accessories. Not all of us have pots of money to spend on our gardens but that doesn’t mean we have to compromise of style. Read more

I’m excited to show you the finished article I’ve written for M&S Bank which went live on their website this week. Read more

So what is it that we garden designers do all day?  There are many schools of thought about what we do and often they include something about being outside a lot.  The reality of my life as a garden designer is that I am only “outside” when I am either on site making a planned visit during the construction phase of the project or when I am planting up a garden after the hard landscaping has been finished. Read more