This is a trend we’ve seen emerge in the last couple of years. It is something we’ve referenced in a number of recent blog posts such as our What size garden table should I buy? and Garden Chairs: A Buying Guide articles. More and more Lazy Susan customers are asking us how best to pair your garden chairs with a garden bench…
We have a number of Customer Photos from our Do Some Good charity initiative that showcases the different ways you can do this too. So taking those as inspiration, and the recent spike in sales where customers are purchasing a Garden Table and Garden Chairs and pairing with a Garden Bench, we want to look at ways you can pull off this trend.
It’s also worth pointing out that our Garden Benches can also be purchased at a discounted price if purchased with one of our Garden Furniture Sets. For example, if you purchase our best selling June 6 Seater set with Oval Garden Table in Antique Bronze (pictured above), then there is an option to add the coordinating Jasmine Antique Bronze Garden Bench (pictured below) as a gift, saving you around 40% off the RRP.
Now, I’m sure that our generous bulk-buy discount has helped the recent spike in sales, however, the demand for this trend was already there. We only added our benches (alongside more obvious items such as Parasols and Cushions) as an optional gift due to that high demand. We reacted to what many of our customers were asking for and voting for with clicks.
And there’s a good reason for this…
The humble Garden Bench is the perfect partner for our Garden Furniture sets!
Why do you need a garden bench in your garden?
For us, the key to a good Garden Bench is simplicity. The soft organic lines of our collection are perfect for your outdoor space. They can create a focal point or just as easily blend into their natural surroundings. It all depends on how you position them. How you frame them within your garden/overall design scheme. Humble it may be, but it delivers impact, providing you with a comfortable place to sit, rest and admire your outdoor space or any views you may have.
At Lazy Susan we know that our Benches are more than just another piece of garden furniture too. They’ll draw people into the garden, a quiet workhorse if you will. Positioned correctly and they’ll create a whole new perspective. Good garden furniture should influence how you use your outdoor space garden, for the better.
Our benches provide flexibility. The patio is often where we want our dining and/or sofa sets. A garden bench can be positioned alongside for additional seating, or you can create a seating zone at the other end of the garden to mix things up, highlight a different view, create a new zone. However, whilst they are sturdy enough to not blow over, they’re also light enough to pick up and move if need be.
And, if you want that Bench to be usable, then it needs to be comfortable. Goes without saying. It also needs to be able to sit outside in all weather with minimal maintenance. Our cast aluminium benches deliver on both. Ergonomic curves and painted with a protective coating so they won’t rust or rot. They won’t need to be stained to protect them (more of that in a moment). We also offer fitted Garden Bench Cushions to make them even more comfortable (pictured above in our Green colourway).
As you’ll see in the Customer Photos below, many are taking this a step further and looking at new and unique ways to pair our garden chairs with a garden bench. Giving our benches their own patio, surrounding them with hardscaping, constructing arbours/gazebos around them to provide shade and shelter, using planting to frame them like a picture. A garden bench might often sit in a quiet corner of the garden but it often becomes the ‘element’ from which we get the most joy!
Why pair your garden chairs with a garden bench?
If you want to pair your garden chairs with a garden bench, then the trends we are seeing with Lazy Susan customers include:
- Creating seating zones
- Pulling up extra seating to larger sets
- Complimenting smaller sets
- Creating a more informal seating area
- Extra seating for the kids to share
- As a focal point
- Getting the party started
- Enjoying the view
- Framing and enclosing
Customer photographs of garden tables and chairs paired with a garden bench
We thought the best way to illustrate how you can pair your garden chairs with a garden bench is to share some of our favourite customer photos.
They showcase how real people are using our Benches better than we can. And as the old Printer's Ink adage goes “a picture paints a thousand words”…
1. Creating seating zones
We discussed the idea of creating ‘zones’ in your garden in last months how to design your patio around your garden table article. The idea is that different parts of your garden become zones for different functions such as dining, relaxing, growing, etc. What many Lazy Susan customers are doing is purchasing a dining set for the patio, and then complementing that with a garden bench positioned in another zone. What it provides is a formal and informal option. A place to eat, a place to retire for a drink, a little shade, to kick back and take in the wider garden. This is shown to beautiful effect in the customer photos above and below.
2. Pulling up extra seating to larger sets for a BBQ or party
We always advise people to purchase our Garden Tables with the number of chairs you need regularly (i.e., the number of people in your household) rather than purchasing the number of Garden Chairs you might need for that one BBQ/party you host in the summer. Of course, scale/patio size is also a factor, however, if you’re a family of four for example, then it makes no sense to have a large 10 seater set if you are not hosting guests regularly. The question is what do you do when you do have the need for a few extra seats to get the party started? The Garden Bench is the perfect solution. You can use it as above. Position it elsewhere but pull it up when needed. Plus they coordinate with our garden tables/chairs so it fits and functions perfectly.
3. Complimenting our smaller garden furniture sets
I suppose this follows on from the above trend. Many of us have limited space. I myself have a city centre Victorian terrace. The back garden is an OK size but anything bigger than a 4 seater and the terrace off the back of the property can look a little cramped. We decided to go for a smaller 4 seater set and pair it with a bench as we often have 1 or two visitors over. And this appears to be something many of our customers are choosing to do too. It makes the space work a little harder. Gives us options and makes the space seem a little more intimate. The 4 seater tables are big enough to squeeze 6 around with room to eat but not too big that conversation becomes tricky.
4. Creating a more informal seating area
Again, this trend seems to flow on nicely from the last. Pairing a bench with our 2 Seater Bistro sets (captured perfectly in the customer photo above) is great for creating a more informal seating area. The tables are too small to set for 4 in terms of a full meal but they are perfect for drinks and nibbles or tea and cake! Many just like to sit outside and have a few drinks and this configuration is perfect for that more relaxed intimate gathering.
5. Seating for the kids
A garden bench makes the perfect seat for the kids if you’ve got friends and family over for a garden party. You can pull it up to the table as we’ve detailed above (and again shown in this fab customer photo above) but easily squeeze on 3, 4 or more children depending on age. It keeps them close together but uses up much less space than 4 separate garden chairs.
6. The Garden Bench as a focal point in your garden
Our garden benches are not just an optional extra or spare seating though. All good garden designs need a focal point. Something at the bottom that draws you out from home to garden. A good garden bench just seems to do this perfectly as our Customer Photos demonstrate.
7. Enjoying the view
We touched on this in our intro. You can position the bench to take in most of your surroundings. This could be a water feature or a wider view beyond your garden. And OK it's raining in the customer photo above but look at that view! We often see many purchase the bench as a gift alongside our garden furniture sets and never the twain shall meet. The garden table and chairs are for the rear patio/garden area. The garden bench is positioned in the front garden to take advantage of the view and provide an alternative seating area to make the most of where the sun is at different times of the day. For those with a north-facing back garden, this can be essential!
8. Framing and enclosing
Again, we touched on this in our intro. Many are taking their garden bench and taking it to the next level by using hardscaping to frame it and cover it with some form of shelter/enclosed roof. Creating a patio away from the main patio/access to the home specifically for their bench. Making a feature out of the seat itself. Our industry has become saturated with plush oversize sofa style sets. And there’s nothing wrong with them. It is just sometimes simple is best… Low maintenance. A quiet spot in the garden where you can sit down with a drink for an hour or two and take it all in (without nodding off). Create a little reading nook where you can escape with a book. Enclosing it with an arbour creates the perfect place to get away from a busy household. Frame it with climbing plants that will grow around the frame of the arbour to further immerse yourself in nature and soften the structure.
Why purchase a garden bench from Lazy Susan?
Every garden needs a focal point, just like any room inside the home needs one. It helps create balance and allows the space to make sense. In the living room, it could a fireplace or sofa, in a kitchen, it could be the dining table or the island. Outside, the garden bench is the perfect piece, a natural point for the eye to rest. It will invite people outside and if positioned correctly it will pull your garden together. Connect it from front to back/side to side.
Those aforementioned outdoor sofas are great, ideal if you want to sit for a long period of time. That’s rare in the UK though! Even the best outdoor fabrics need to be stored indoors, so how often do you actually get those big cushions out and on the frame? Your Lazy Susan bench can sit outside in the rain, and when the sun does shine, it is ready to use. That’s why a maintenance-free and weatherproof garden bench from Lazy Susan is a cost (and function) effective solution.
If you enjoy spending quality time in your garden then our range of metal garden benches will definitely have something for you. Whether you enjoy relaxing and reading a book in solitude, or the extra room when friends visit, all you need is one of our cast aluminium bench seats to add character to your garden. You’ll find an array of designs featuring our antique bronze, slate grey, sandstone and white colourways to complete your garden design scheme and elegantly match with your Lazy Susan garden table and chairs.
The Lazy Susan garden bench collection for summer 2021
If you want to pair your garden chairs with a garden bench, then browse our collection for summer 2021:
Jasmine Garden Bench
Available in Antique Bronze, Slate, Sandstone and White.
Rose Garden Bench
Available in Antique Bronze, White, Slate and Sandstone.
April Garden Bench
Available in Antique Bronze, Slate, Sandstone and White.
July Garden Bench
Available in Antique Bronze and White.
Grace Garden Bench
Available in Antique Bronze, White and Slate.
Shop the full Lazy Susan Garden Bench Collection.