Complete your garden with rustic furniture

By Hosea OmoleYou have managed to put together the perfect informal garden for your country style home. Yours is the getaway from the hustles of the big city. It is everything the city is not — rugged, fresh and flowing with nature’s goodness. And now it is time to furnish it.The last thing you want to do is adulterate it with a set of machine made, show room pieces. Look in the direction of rustic garden furniture. These will afford you the perfect opportunity to carry on your nature inspired concepts. They give you that unfinished, timeless look and feel, fitting in perfectly with the informality of your garden. Handmade, each piece is an opportunity to ‘signature design’ your garden. Forget the mass-produced showroom fittings in every other garden. Here is the opportunity to give the garden some real character.Rustic furniture saves you the fussy details of trying to get a fine finish. It is just not necessary. This is the only job you will ever do where the crooked lines, untidy joints and not so smooth edges will pass as part of the style. Choosing a Style Rustic seats should not have metals sticking outThis is the first consideration when working with rustic furniture. It is important to understand the different kinds available in order to make informed choices. The most important parametres here are the base material. Wood is the most diverse. Different kinds of wood behave differently. Teak, although expensive, takes the cake when it comes to outdoor furniture. Its beauty is mould and mildew resistant hence it is virtually maintenance free. Its natural oils protect it from water making it, quite literally, the last set of garden furniture you will ever acquire.Function of furnitureCedar is the more pocket-friendly alternative to teak. It is also mould and mildew resistant and will last many years as long as you oil it regularly to protect it from exposure to moisture. For the shoestring budget, pine will do albeit with reduced aesthetic value and durability. True wrought iron is less available these days. A lot of what we now refer to as wrought iron is actually mild steel. But that is beside the point. Wrought iron (or mild steel) can be used to make great rustic furniture. The skill to shape the metal into artistic pieces is the key to success.Whatever style you choose, make sure the pieces function efficiently. Comfort is not an option so don’t compromise it for anything. The table and seat heights must be appropriate for the specific use. Sitting surfaces are typically between 400 and 500mm while dining table tops are between 800mm and 900mm. Anything too high or too low can be very uncomfortable. Pillows and cushions are always worthy additions to rustic outdoor furniture. However, do not just throw in any. Choose colours that complement your nature-inspired concepts. Go for subtle earth colours and avoid bright colours and complex geometric patterns. Safety is equally critical. There is nothing rustic about nails sticking out, playing joints or wobbly seats. Younger users will require even higher standards of safety. Swings, slides and bars for children must be thoroughly inspected for safety before they are used. Regular maintenance ensures high safety standards are sustained over time.The writer is a landscape architect.

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