Modern benches for a contemporary garden
At Barbed we think that dining chairs are essential and functional pieces of furniture, but we also think that they can sometimes make you feel a bit fixed. Indeed, unless you "cwtch up" as the Welsh would say (i.e. in this situation, share your seat with someone else by sitting very close together), you'll generally be sitting alone in your chair. This is actually why Fermob created the Luxembourg Duo Armchair, so two people could sit very close yet comfortably one next to the other.
For this reason, we love the versatility of garden benches: they are less formal and encourage closer contact and friendlier gatherings. They also convey a feel of nostalgia, of the “good old times” when families would gather for dinner around long rectangular tables and sit on benches. Some of us may have childhood memories and remember for instance going to the sea as a child and coming back for lunch, still dripping, sitting down on a bench with all the other children of the family and eat quickly before running back to the sea…
The French Bench by Chris Eckersley
Chris Eckersley is a British artist who likes “making things”, drawing inspiration from Le Corbusier’s work and from his trips to Milan. In 2009 he went bodging, and combined his bodging skills with his love for French design to create the French Bench, made of powder-coated steel with an oak frame. The steel seat is perforated to form a geometric pattern, adding to the vintage feel of this clever and comfortable bench.
The Edge Bench by Cane-Line
Cane-Line are more famous for their amazingly relaxing outdoor sofas, but they do manufacture a bench to complement their Edge dining range, bringing together the ideal of form and function. If you prefer
benches to chairs for your dining, then you must try the Cane-Line Edge Bench made with Cane-line trademarked rope - skilfully woven into a comfortable, designed seat. Furthermore, as all Cane-Line furniture, this item is very low-maintenance, so perfect to leave outside, while all the Edge range is versatile and light and can be used indoors or even in the hallway.
Traditional and contemporary benches by Fermob
Who said you couldn't combine design and comfort? Certainly not us! Once more, Fermob offers a wide selection of styles and colours, with elaborate traditional benches to more modern ones.
The 1900 Bench
We love the highly romantic 1900 bench with hand-forged patterns, bringing us back in time to nineteenth century Paris. This gorgeous piece of furniture is perfect to woo the one you love and to add a fairy-tale touch to your garden, terrace or patio.
The Origami Bench
If you think the 1900 bench is too old-fashioned for you, then take a look at the Origami Bench. Not only is it stylish and modern, it is also a wonderful example of craftsmanship, since only one single sheet of steel is used to create this environmentally-friendly, zero-waste seat and its perfectly balanced design means that it will not tilt. The Origami is a truly exceptional piece crafted for use outdoors, but as many of our customers have found out ideal for hallways and utility rooms.
The Ellipse Bench
Fermob offers us yet another style of furniture with the Ellipse bench, an alliance of aluminium and outdoor fabric, all in round shapes. We can thank Pascal Mourgue for this re-interpretation of park benches which offers comfort thanks to the Outdoor Technical Fabric (OTF) and robustness through its metal frame. Like all Fermob furniture, the Ellipse bench is UV coated, weatherproof and relatively easy to clean.
The Luxembourg Bench
It is difficult to talk about Fermob and not mention the Luxembourg range which offers everything for the garden, from tables to rocking chairs! The Luxembourg 3-4 Seater Bench created by Frédéric Sofia gives a 'Luxembourg twist' to traditional benches, making this piece of furniture an iconic one. Just like the 1900 bench and the Origami bench, the Luxembourg bench is available in numerous colours – 24 to be precise.
The Wave Bench by Mathias Claerhout
Belgian designer Mathias Claerhout brought us the wave bench, an elegant curvy bench made of stainless steel. You sure need some space for this bench to show all its grandeur, as the longer it is the better it looks – luckily for us this piece of artwork is available for all to see and admire (and sit on!) at the Lessius Institute in Antwerpen, Belgium.
Extremis benches – Belgian design at its best
It is hard to decide which bench by Belgian designers Extremis we prefer, as there are quite a few and all show a high dose of creativity!
The Romeo & Juliet Bench
We were talking about romanticism earlier, and we are sure that the Romeo & Juliet bench, although very different in style to the 1900 Fermob bench, will appeal to many couples out there. The bench uses flower pots to give privacy to people seating on this designer piece of furniture, and the trees planted in the pots at regular intervals can allow lovers to relax on this bench and feel like they are alone, in a small haven, surrounded by nature.
The PicNik Bench
The PicNik Bench by Extremis, created by Dirk Wynants & Xavier Lust, is similar to the Origami bench by Fermob in that it uses one single sheet of aluminium. This bench is actually an environmentally-friendly 2-in-1 table and seats, perfect if you are concerned about waste but still like stylish furniture. It is available in an array of colours to order: sky blue, white, fire red, earth, rock blue, wave grey and sun yellow.
The Na Xemena Bench by Gandia Blasco
Leaving Belgium, we’re now heading to Spain to discover the Gandia Blasco Na Xemena bench. The Spanish manufacturer combines anodized aluminium with bronze, white or sand coloured polyethylene to create this classic bench with a twist. We can already imagine ourselves sharing tapas with all our friends, can’t you?
At Barbed we like diversity and clever design and we know that it can be difficult to find the right piece of garden furniture that suits our tastes, so we hope we helped you with this selection of garden benches which are very different yet have three things in common: high quality, weather-resistance and imaginative design.
- 28th March 2014
