Outdoor Bench: The principles involved in constructing the tree seat are easy to modify to a homeŽmade unit. Straight-edged wood can be used to construct a planter or tree seat if a more formal appearance is required. If there is no suitable tree in the garden, it may be worth planting one and building the seat around it, leaving room for the trunk to grow as the years go by.
Alternatively, you could use the seat as a planter by filling it with soil and adding small shrubs, or trailing plants.
A simple outdoor bench can be constructed by erecting two piers. The bench top can simply rest loosely on the piers, or can be attached with screws driven into wallplugs.
THE QUALITY of light will have a major influence on your garden design. Shade is usually more of a problem in urban areas than rural, as next-door buildings and neighboring walls and fences tend to cast shadows for at least part of the day. If only a corner of your backyard receives sun then it makes sense to reserve this area for an outdoor bench, patio, or greenhouse. Do not waste the sun you do have.See Also Some Outdoor Opera:Opera House to be Built in Dubai Designed by Zaha Hadid
Dubai is to build an opera house and two museums to reflect the 'cultural side' of the rapidly growing emirate, Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum said. The opera house, which has been designed by Baghdad-born architect Zaha Hadid, the first woman winner of the prestigious Pritzker Prize, will be built on an island in Dubai's Creek area. It will feature two libraries and a school for music, and an outdoor theatre, as well as a marina and a luxury hotel, WAM said. One of the two planned museums will be dedicated to art while the other will be multidisciplinary, it added.
Second, the Pitti Palace, with the Boboli Gardens, in Florence, is a powerful magnet at any time, but especially when some outdoor opera or concert is being given in the amphitheater.
Third, Villa d'Este, at Tivoli, outside Rome, was built for Cardinal Ippolito of the fabulous Este family, and is interesting as a palace, but quite overwhelming as a garden of assorted fountains.
On The Other Hand See Outdoor Furniture:GOING GREEN: Eco-friendly style is gaining in popularity, but it's not always easy to find. Here in the Valley it can be had at Modern Outdoor, based in Van Nuys. Their furniture has a sleek aesthetic with clean, simple lines. And one key material they use is Ipe, a sustainably harvested wood that's three times as dense as teak. "It's one of the best woods you can use to make outdoor furniture," says company vice president Brett Himmel. "Our furniture is designed for heavy commercial use. A 20-mile-per-hour gust of wind won't blow your chair into the neighbor's yard."
"We sell more double lounges than single," says Brendan Barry, owner of Barong Furniture and accessories in West Hollywood, whose outdoor furniture offerings are primarily teak and iron. What does this say about the L.A. lifestyle? "Let's just say people like to cuddle," he says with a laugh.
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