GardenDesignOnline

Garden Accessories: New from The Branch Studio

click on images to enlarge

Just got a new release from The Branch Studio in Michigan... and some very nice items indeed. 
These Stuart Tables are fashioned from ipe and steel, in a lovely design fit for any modern (or maybe even classical) garden.  Three sizes, from 7 to 10 feet long by 30 to 36" wide.  All are hand-welded and the wood is minimally spaced to allow for quick drainage of rainwater. The tables can be left in place throughout the winter season.

Round Barry Tapers
Made from hot-rolled steel and hand welded, these striking containers each have a vertical half oval molding which runs from just under rim and ends in a leg, just high enough to elevate them above grade.  Three shapes with 20 to 29" diameters, large enough to accommodate many a planting design.  And ... there are also square-shaped Barry Tapers.

  Basin & Bowl
The basin, 12" tall in the center by 58" diameter, sits on a two-inch high base for stability and can be placed at grade or on a pedestal.  The bowl is 40" diameter by 14" tall in the center, and custom sizing is available. Both are made from hot-rolled steel with a hand-welded rim, and treated with Branch's signature patinated finish.

Metro Pots are another new item, but you can look them up on the website.

All are great contemporary additions in the landscape.

 

 

Mod Birdhouse for Mod Birds

photos: SHIFT - click to enlarge

For modern birds, what more could you ask for than the Beekman Bird Feeder by SHIFT?  The contemporary design is crafted from powder-coated aluminum, with a walnut dowel and platinum paracord. Who needs a standard wooden or plastic feeder when your birds could be flying high and enjoying the high-quality materials that won't rust in spring showers.

As SHIFT puts it, "The way we see it, for all the beauty they present -- birds deserve the same high standards as humans do."

SHIFT, based in Philadelphia, manufactures objects and furniture -- modern interpretations of utilitarian objects -- including many outdoor products.  SHIFT was launched in 2009 by SHIFTSPACE, a design studio founded by architect Mario Gentile.

Chickens in the Garden, Anyone?

photos: Hobbit Hole Store

I know that chickens are very popular these days ... and even if you're doing high-end design, you may run into clients who want a big vegetable garden and perhaps chickens, too.

So -- if you're going to go that route, the least you can do is have a good-looking chicken coop, like these hand-made ones from the Hobbit™ Hole Store.

They come in different sizes and styles, so that you can decide upon having a whole flock or just a few.  Coops have insulation for cold climates, windows, perches, nest boxes, everything you could possibly need.  Well, if you're going to have chickens, why not a designer coop?

 

Funky Furniture

New offerings from David Francis Furniture:  Fun, Funky, Fabulous for the right yard.

photos: David Francis - click to enlarge

The Marrakesh Armchair
Woven Eolene over powder-coated aluminum frame.

Colors: White or Paprika

 

Nantucket Loveseat
Powder-coated aluminum frame in Snow finish, Sunbrella Fabrics
Armchair and tables to match.

 

Napa Armchair
Powder-coated white aluminum frame; Sunbrella Fabrics
Dining chair, barstool, loveseat, coffee table to match.

 

See all of the new outdoor offerings on the David Francis Furniture website.

Is your Firepit Legal?

I don't endorse any products, and I'm not endorsing Solus Firepits, but the company had a very interesting blog post recently on the legality of firepits around the country.

The message is:  if you or your client are thinking about putting one in the yard, make sure you check out your local ordinances first. In some communities, wood-burning firepits or outdoor fireplaces are simply illegal.

The blog post is very interesting.  You may read it here. 

Garden Accessories: New, Very Arty Planter

photos: Seibert-Rice - click to enlarge

Gardens aren't always about the plants. 

And to illustrate the point, just take a look at this new planter from Seibert & Rice, the latest addition to its American Collection. 

 The Landcraft Pot was designed by horticulturist and garden designer Dennis Schrader, featuring large alocasia leaves that are surrounded by tropical frangipani flowers, also called plumeria.

The pot is handmade of Impruneta terra cotta from Italy, as are all of the company's planters.  It's 28 inches high, 30 inches wide, large enough for a striking planting arrangement.  However, the planter itself makes a grand artistic statement, so don't get carried away with the plants ... let the planter carry the day.

Xmas Gifts III - 2016

Downspout Trellis from Kinsman Company.

These trellises sell out fast, fast, fast every spring ... so maybe the holidays are the best time to secure one for the coming year.  Can't think of a better way to hide those ugly things than with a climbing clematis or other lovely flowering vine.

Also from Kinsman, trellises for large containers.  They come in many bright colors, and would make a great addition to almost any container.  On a deck, a few large containers with trellises would make a great screen.  The trugs shown here as containers also come in a variety of colors.

 

Everyone needs baskets in the garden -- for tools, veggies, flowers and the like.  These colorful ones from the NY Botanical Garden Shop come in three sizes, perfect for tiny to sizeable gardens.

Outdoor "Glow" Chairs

Love these chairs from designer Kim Markel, featured recently in a New York Times article.  As her website notes, the chairs are whimsical and translucent, "described as looking like candy, ice pops, gummy bears, and ice."  Hand-crafted from reclaimed plastics makes them a great environmental statement as well.  Blue, green, yellow, orange, or red -- as  you desire.

Dulles Airport - For the Birds

Well, if you fly in and out of Dulles all the time, or live in the DC area, why wouldn't you want want a Dulles Airport birdfeeder?

It's fashioned after the iconic building designed by Eero Saarinen -- and made to order by Paul Coffaro in his Mid-CenturyModernWoodshop in Nevada City, CA.  I first came across his site in an article in the NY Times about designers' favorite furniture. It featured a mid-century modern birdhouse by Paul - in the style of one of  Frank Lloyd Wright's Usonian houses.

Coffaro's site also offers this terrific solar-powered water feature inspired by the Stahl House in Hollywood Hills by Julius Shulman. It's made to order from redwood and cedar -- a great gift for any dedicated gardener.

You'll find many other outdoor items on the ModernWoodshop site -- planters, benches, privacy screens, chairs and much more.  But I know many people who would covet one of those Dulles birdfeeders.

 

Indestructible Outdoor Furniture

Well, you can't get any more natural and indestructible as these chairs, sofas, and tables crafted by Stefano Giovanoni and his wife Elisa Gargan in Milan. You may have seen them mentioned recently in an article on furniture in the New York Times.

Available from Vondom, these pieces are crafted from stone -- either white or black -- and wouldn't they look just great with colorful cushions.  And of course you can leave them outside in any kind of weather, and they won't deteriorate, no matter what happens.  (Unless maybe a very powerful tornado?)

Modern, elegant, the perfect fit for any contemporary garden.