Sunday, January 10, 2010
Couches!
People need places to sit. It's a fact of life. Too often in landscapes you see the ubiquitous "seating wall." I've never been a fan. Does anyone ever look comfortable when you see them on a seating wall?
I resisted the urge and decided that I wanted something more defined and permanent. I've always envisioned the courtyard as an alternative living room rather than a landscaped garden. To that end, I needed some couches.
Outdoor furniture has become quite popular...even Walmart sells it. If you want
contemporary and reasonably-priced, however, your choices are pretty limited. I looked at things like what you see below....over $2000 (at WalMart!) and I wasn't even particularly fond of the style.
So I decided to try building something myself. It would be considerably less-expensive, unique, and hopefully closer to what I want. It's easy to say that out loud. But around 10AM this morning I was staring at some lumber with the dark realization that I needed to turn it into something I could it on:
I found a basic design online, here, and went about modifying. The angularity definitely plays off elements of the house. I'll be using a wood-tone translucent stain to tone down bare douglas fir.
Here's how I ended the day. Tomorrow I need to make another leg, add the seating surfaces, and stain / seal them. Then make a second one.
# posted by Stephen @ 12:03 AM 
