Garden Furniture
Garden furniture allows you to enjoy your garden and enhance its beauty at the same time. As a result, it plays a very important role in garden design.
Alice Bowe on Garden Furniture
Like every other garden designer, Alice Bowe selects garden furniture with aesthetics in her mind. But while looking for the perfect piece of furniture, she keeps a close eye on eco-friendliness as well. She recommends to:
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Choose natural over synthetic materials. Garden furniture that is made from wood for instance is not only more environmentally friendly but it also blends perfectly with its natural surroundings.
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Choose locally sourced materials. Bowe advocates locally sourced materials such as English Oak over imported woods. She is not particularly thrilled about teak because it is shipped large distances. But if you want to have teak garden furniture, the garden designer urges you to make sure that the wood is FSC certified or recycled.
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Choose wood that is sourced in sustainably managed forests or plantations. Unfortunately, many pieces of wooden garden are made from illegally harvested logs. By choosing such furniture, you would be supporting illegal logging that is causing an irreparable damage to the environment. But it also causes serious damage to the local communities and economy because it often goes hand in hand with corruption and violence.
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Choose recycled or reclaimed materials. These are without a doubt the most environmentally friendly choice. Not a single tree is cut down to make recycled wood furniture. At the same time, reclaimed wood has a unique aged patina that gives it an additional appeal. And even if it is ‘old’, it is not any less durable than freshly cut timber.
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Choose garden furniture that is either untreated or stained/painted with eco-friendly coatings. Some types of wood such as teak do not require any protection in the form of stains and paints to make them suitable for outdoor use. You are therefore recommended to focus on woods (or other materials) that are naturally resistant to the outdoor elements. But if the furniture you would like to buy requires protection from the outdoor extremes, make sure that it is treated or treat it with eco-friendly coating.
Other Useful Tips on Garden Furniture Selection
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Quality material. Most types of materials are available in different quality grades. It is a good idea to invest in the highest quality garden furniture because in the long term, it will cost you less than that made from lower quality material.
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Quality workmanship. If you want your garden furniture to stand the test of time and wear, it is crucial that it meets the highest quality workmanship standards. You are recommended to buy from reputable brands that offer a full guarantee on their products.