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.”
Customise your Wrought Iron Table Top
We had to share this beautiful table with you!
We were pleased to receive this picture with an email from our happy customers who ordered a customised top Castrum Wrought Iron Table recently. They attached beautiful travertine tiles to the sheet metal table base to create a fabulous Tuscan-style design!
We were also curious so we looked this up – did you know that the word travertine originates from the Italian ‘travertino’?
It is a type of limestone that was originally quarried in Italy and used extensively by the Romans, making it the perfect choice for this project. Chemical deposits within the stone create bands or lines which run through in shades of beige, cream and gold. It is patterned with holes and troughs which give it a rustic texture but is also means that no two tiles are the same.
It’s a great choice for an outdoor dining table top, too, as it is highly durable and can withstand the elements. However, it is porous and it is recommended to use a sealant to protect the table top as the minerals in the stone are highly reactive with acidic solutions.
We wanted to show you this picture as we think this project could inspire others to create their own individual table-top designs. The result will be a hand-made, unique, work of art you can enjoy for years to come.
The beauty is; tiles come in all sorts of finishes, shapes, sizes, colours and materials. Plan and create an intricate mosaic using colours, motifs and symbols of your choice. Or perhaps use coloured glass or mirrored tiles in your design. The possibilities are endless.
Check our Oliver, Paris or Castrum wrought iron tables, their strength and durability is perfect to withstand the weight of the tiling. Several dimensions are available and table legs come with an inserted height-adjustment mechanism for perfect balance. We also offer a choice of colours to fit-in with your vision.
10 Reasons to Choose Wrought Iron Table and Chairs for your Dining Room
1. It Won’t Stain – Unlike other materials, it won’t stain (no more nagging the kids to use coasters)
2. It Won’t Fade – After time wood can fade and you’ll end up with a lack-lustre finish, unless of course you spend time and money maintaining it. Wrought iron table will look as new for years.
3. Easy to Clean – Simply wipe with a damp cloth and voilà!
4. Strength – Strong, sturdy and durable, your wrought iron table and chairs will last a lifetime.
5. More Design Choice – You’ll find there’s much more to choose from, after all, unlike wood, it can be moulded and formed into any shape, allowing for more elaborate, unique designs.
6. Colour and Finish Choice – You can also choose your colour; for example, we offer wrought iron table and chairs in a range of colours such as grey, black, pure white or cream with patina finishes in gold and green.
7. Detachable Cushions – This is a big plus; no expensive upholstery repairs or stain removal, you can also change colour and style easily, as you please.
8. Fits in with existing Furniture – Wrought iron is fairly neutral and will fit in well with your existing furniture and décor. No need to worry about getting the right match of wood.
9. Easy to Update your Interiors – As wrought iron is so versatile and can lend itself well to any style (provided you go for a simple design), you can update your dining room easily, as often as you wish.
10. Multi-Purpose – If you did want something totally new in 5 or 10 years, you can simply relegate your wrought iron table to the patio and use it as garden furniture.
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