Garden Series I: How-to Create a French Courtyard Garden
Welcome to our new Garden How-to Series where we’ll be showing you how to create a different garden design every week.
Design Considerations
• Consider the sunlight, walls will cast deep shadows and their positioning will differ depending on the season.
• Create a Roof – You may wish to have a covered area to enjoy your garden in all weathers. This is much easier with a courtyard as you can make use of the walls and attached a lean to or canopy.
• A level floor will make the space much more useable; if you decide to level the courtyard you could consider traditional stone or terracotta pavers, and even have a small artificial grass lawn.
• Covering the walls – you may need to cover-up unsightly brick walls, trellis is a great solution but you could consider painting or cladding.
• A symmetrical layout is preferable, especially when space is limited. Uniformed positioning of furniture and other features works better with the structured walled surround.
The Essentials
Wrought Iron Furniture – Think of your favourite French bistro – for a more romantic look choose a white or cream metal garden furniture, grey or black will look more rustic. Follow the link for another how-to on creating a mosaic table top.
Planters – Terracotta or stone urns and planters for a feature fruit tree, climbers to grow up walls or more formal topiary. Wrought iron plant stands and hanging baskets will fit in perfectly with this theme too. Fixed wall planters will help decorate the walls and disguise any flaws.
Fragrance – We’re looking to create an ambience so we want to appeal to all the senses, fragrant fresh herbs like thyme, lavender and lemon grass so you’ll feel like you’re in a French farmhouse.
Planting List
Lemon/Orange Tree – depending on light conditions, great in a courtyard as it’s sheltered
Dwarf Trees – look for dwarf or ornamental tree varieties due to the space limitation
Climbing Hydrangea – thrives in shady, inhospitable areas
Dutchman’s pipe – a deciduous woody vine
Wild Garlic – the bulbs, along with the flowers are edible, leaves are delicious in salads or soups.
French Lavender (Lavandula stoechas) –an excellent container plant with a unique violet flower, needs full sun.
Greek oregano – very hardy, with darker green foliage with clusters edible lavender flowers
Peppermint – for a burst of freshness are perfect for moist, shaded locations
Accessories
The size of your courtyard will determ
ine how to put the finishing touches to your new space. A large courtyard may be able to accommodate more furniture and even a water feature. However, a small courtyard can be easily overwhelmed with accessories. In this case, keep it simple – a few potted plants may be all you need to get the look.
Table Linen – for an elegant bistro setting go for a crisp white table cloth or choose a chequered or floral design for a more cottage feel.
Candle-light – Of course, no French eatery would be complete without candles so go for a candelabra centrepiece.
Stone potting table – great as a feature piece and will display your herb garden
Wall art – will add interest, choose a wrought iron piece or use mirrors in a small courtyard to give the impression of more space.
Antique French Water Feature – if you have the room, a water feature will add an extra dimension.
Don’t miss next week where we’ll be jetting off to Florida to create a Miami style chill-out garden.
Metal Garden Bench or What is a Loveseat
Contrary to popular belief, the loveseat wasn’t invented for lovebirds. It actually began life as a large chair that was wide enough to accommodate the large gowns worn by fashionable ladies of the 17th & 18th centuries.
As these trends expired at the beginning of the 19th century, people began to notice the extra space in their chairs. They were then produced under the name love seat, or ‘courting chair’.
Love seats got wider in Victorian era as courting couples were not allowed to get too close. Ultimately they became a sofa for two, allowing room for two people to sit comfortably together.
In the glamorous 40s and 50s the courting chair was revamped. Boudoir loveseats can be seen in furniture ads throughout this period; a 2-seater for the bedroom sporting luxurious upholstery and often a scantily-clad lady.
These days, it’s common to use a love-seat in the garden; a romantic metal garden bench or a two-seater sofa provides a tranquil spot for couples to enjoy each-others company.
And, if we need to convince you more about how fashionable the love-seat is again, the new portrait photograph of The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh, the first to be commissioned of the two together, shows them on a two-seater sofa.
Commissioned by the National Portrait Gallery London, to mark the Queen’s forthcoming Diamond Jubilee and in the year of the Duke’s 90th birthday, the artist Thomas Struth explained:
“I wanted to leave them both in their royal environment, and of course not try to disguise who they are, but also show them as an elderly couple who are together.
I selected what in America you call a love seat, which is a small two-seater sofa which would make them sit together, and yet both in their own aura.”
Pale Beauty: Garden Furniture In Cream Or White
White suggest purity, romance, and beauty. And garden furniture in cream or white can transform your garden from ordinary to breathtaking. If you’re planning to purchase some new iron furniture for your back garden, consider some of our many gorgeous choices in cream and white.
The Paris collection offers romantic, whimsical patio furniture that will enhance any city or country garden. Our set of three Paris garden chairs and round bistro table come in both cream white or pure white, and would look lovely on a garden patio or arranged inside our Paris gazebo.
Accessorize with different tones of white and cream for a romantic effect or add a splash of colours to the whites, with vibrant flowers or decorative cushions.
Our Castrum Collection also offers a white or cream iron table and chairs, with a hint of antique style, and a fused glass. This collection would look lovely either in your conservatory or in your dining room. It is designed for indoor or outdoor use. There are three styles of chairs available, a garden bench, and coordinating cushions for more comfortable seating.
Looking for something to create an outdoor lounge area? We also offer a range of outdoor metal furniture specifically for this purpose, including armchairs, sofas, loveseats, coffee tables, all of which can be purchased in either cream white or pure white to match the rest of your outdoor metal furniture. The sofa in our Classico range also converts to a bed, and can be used inside as a guest bed or a sofa in your indoor lounge.
All of the Classico iron furniture is designed to last for years and years and is weather proof and extremely durable.
The Ideal Garden Chair: 10 Reasons To Choose The Oliver Chair
If you’re looking for the ideal garden chair to go with your metal patio furniture, you’ve come to the right place. Here at 10 reasons to choose the Oliver chair.
1. Elegant, classic pattern.
The elegance of the Oliver garden chair is both classic and stunning. A perfect choice in iron table and chairs.
2. Exceptional comfort.
This is a very comfortable chair which offers a flexible yet supportive back and seat.
3. Ergonomically designed armrests.
These armrests are specifically designed for comfort and relaxation.
4. Sturdy and robust.
This chair will last you for years and years.
5. Anti-rust protection.
The Oliver chair is made with anti-rust protection with cataphoresis—the same substance used to prevent cars from rusting—and it will last for many years.
6. Cool to the touch.
Our Oliver garden chair is coated with a slightly grainy powder that is pleasant to the touch and prevents the chair from heating up.
7. Double PVC ferrules on leg bases.
The insert and tube edge on the leg makes them sturdy and suitable for sandy or rough surfaces, and at the same time protecting your floor if you want to use the chair inside.
8. Very lightweight.
The Oliver chair weighs only 6 kilograms, making it very light and easy to move, yet heavy enough to stand on windy days.
9. Stackable.
The Oliver chair is stackable, making it easy to store either at the side of the garden or in your storage.
10. Comfortable cushion.
The Oliver chair comes with a comfortable cushion with removable cover.
Browse our collection for other metal garden furniture to compliment the Oliver Chair.
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