Shannon Kettleman

Those Extra Patio Sets Makes Seating Guests So Much Better

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There is something rather wonderful about visiting a neighbouring garden that has an abundance of seating and patio sets.  To have the choice of where to sit when you are asked round for the inevitable family barbeque makes it all so much more bearable.  There is nothing very funny about standing around making small talk with a glass of bubbly in one hand and a plate of ‘finger nibbles’ but then not be able to dip in; something has to go and the dilemma is bubbly or fodder?  Difficult.

However when  you offer plenty of the table and chair sets that are flooding the hardware stores these days, your guests will be most impressed and will play along with the theme of the party much more freely.  There are some really excellent and versatile sets to be had, from the robust square table surrounded by sumptuous sofas around 3 sides, to the simple but very manouverable little two person bistro set with everything inbetween.   The chance to sit out early on a spring or summer morning, taking breakfast or just favourite cuppa out to the garden and relax on a patio chair does take some beating!

Of course the plush teak deck loungers are still available for that touch of vintage elegance and class.  What can be better than lying back, pimms or gin & italian in hand?  The only thing about teak wood is the need to teak oil it every spring and to protect it from very wet rain or harsh weather – so in the garage for winter then.

A Few Ideas On Modern Outside Lighting

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There are many more lighting schemes available now than back in the pre LED days.  Now we can have a choice of all sorts of LED light bulbs which can be either fitted in individual spots or within a fixture of LED strip lights.  The LED is energy efficient and extremely bright which is great for outdoor settings.  Their durability lends them to being able to withstand weather conditions such as rain, snow and wind.  In most cases, an LED bulb can last for over two years, very often for as many as 50,000 hours.

Now, hare far apart to space them.  Good question indeed.     A general rule would suggest between 180 and 240 metres  to ensure safe constant and consistent lighting for paths.   For a porch it can be placed on the wall about a third the height of the door for a single lamp or one quarter if placing two, one either side of the door.

There are one or two pitfalls to avoid – for example too much light can cause glare and will reduce visibility at night.  It will also cause enormous light polution which is likely to annoy the neighbours.    Installing the light fixture too high or low is going to create very awkward shadows and uneven coverage.  The ideal colour LED for outside would be a warm white 2700K to 3000K.  This would be considered ideal for outdoor residential lighting schemes as it will feel inviting without being at all harsh.

Keeping Up Style With Need For Comfort In Latter Years

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As we start our journey into home ownership, it’s usually by way of  a very second hand flat that has been rented in the past and now needs that bit of love & attention.  You don’t have a lot of spare cash so often the furnishings will be a bizarre selection of mismatched armchairs and sofas together with a dining table and odd assortment of chairs.  Bedrooms need a brand new bed – non of this passing on the old and lumpy these days.  Hygiene demands a new matress at least.

The sitting room furniture can be very tricky, it is tempting for parents or grandparents to gallantly go out and order a brand new suite so they can pass on the ‘cherished’ old one.  The younger recipient may well wish to go and buy a brand new one for themselves.  The only sofas that stand the test of time really well are generally leather and this is only when they have been looked after properly and the leather cleaned and fed regularly, they can live on for decades but once the leather dries out, starts to crack and become unstable, then it’s not worth keeping – out with the old and in with the definitely new and modern, easy to keep and oh so comfy sofa!

Favourite Garden Funiture Needs Treating Regular

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Gosh it does seem a very long way off to when we might just be able to dig out those garden loungers!  In my mind it doesn’t seem hard to conjur up memories of hot smmer days, lazing out in the garden with eyes shaded and a little side table holding my drink of the moment.  But come October, as soon as the warmth disappears, to be replaced by all that rain and windy weather, everything gets taken down, loungers folded, table dismantled and into the shed they go.  Though last year I did have time to swab mine down again. . .  all those soft drinks that were spilt over the hot carefree and careless summer days!  I do like to give my teak deck loungers a really good hand wash down.  Once dried the teak  is then brushed down again and teak oil preservative is applied in nice even strokes.  I love doing that job, excepton the chairs with lots of spindles in the back straits.  The cushions have to be taken indoors for safe keeping.  Can’t put those in the shed in the winter time.  I am struggling to recall when we took pocession of this fantastic set of table and  chairs we also use in the garden if there is food to be had.  Same treatment though.  Brush down then apply teak wax.

Is Oak Furniture Expensive Or Actually A Bargain

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On the face of it, folk moan and say that oak furniture is very expensive and they can get cheaper in the scandinavian megastores.  It is true to say that these emporiums, so popular in the ’80s and early 2000s do still offer very good quality furniture at much lower prices, but it is just as true to say that the wood is not oak or other hardwood that we recognise as ‘furniture wood’.   In our forebears’ time it was all dark brown, almost without exception.  Huge great big wardrobes and chests of drawers for storing clothes and linens.  In fact, I well remember my own grandmothers having a combination of cabinets and mini wardrobes with carefully lined drawers and shelves within the cupboard section – moth balls and other irritant inhibitors employed all year round to stop the infestation of moths and fleas which were so prevalent in those days.   I too remember in one of the family houses, the big settle in the large hallway, up against the wall for people to sit whilst they sorted out their footwear and it had cushions along it’s back, held in place by straps, and a long plump one to sit on.  Ahh these flashbacks always incorporate wonderful memories of family furniture that seemed to have been built with the house and we could ncver imagine being there without it all.  But of course time moves on and the dark wood has been out of fashion for decades – for many years you couldn’t give it away, but now, when folk are re-evaluating their needs, the solid oak, walnut, mahogany and other wooden pieces are in greater demand.  And long may that continue.

How Best Quality Garden Loungers Fill Critical Furnishing Gap

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I have had the rather amusing but also slightly annoying scenario of having no proper seating downstairs in my family room.  I used to own a small two seater sofa which matched the large 3 seater in the sitting room.   However after many years of wear and tear the left hand seating got completely ruined when a pretty rotund visitor plonked herself down heavily, and went though it.    There was an unmistakeable sound of ripping from the underneath, as the webbing gave way.  I left things like that for a short while then when the another visit started to loom large, I decided it was time to do something about the tragic state of affairs.  I toured all the furniture showrooms in my area and tried out a variety of two seater arrangements.  Having plumped for a neat little two seater, leather, with power recliners, I then found out the delivery was some 16 weeks.

So, having paid for the council to come and remove my old sofa, I was left with a yawning gap which I filled for all of these weeks with two delightful garden loungers.  These were bought many years ago by my parents in law, to complete their rather stunning conservatory, added to their equally impressive bungalow.   They used these loungers with the attractive floral patterned and sumptuously plump cushions, every day as they enjoyed lookng out over their garden from the warm & sunny vantage point.  I inherited the loungers some 20 years ago and they have never been as appreciated or loved as when used as seating in my family room!

Safe Outdoor Lighting Cannot Be Considered Just On Price

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With our summers ending up being so variable, we can be enjoying lovely sunny evenings for a couple of days and then deep shade for another few.  This causes a rethink of sitting out in the garden in the evening.   The ideal solution to this dilemma is of course to use solar lights; the ones that sore up as little of those rays through the day and when it gets past tea time, they magically light up, gently and reliably.  However, they only work for so long into the evening and need rays to get them going in the first place.   A proper circuit of lights around the garden run off the electricity is of course the pinnacle of desired effect.  They can be programmed to come on gently in a subtle scheme that moves around the garden and lights diferent areas – low lighting and high lighting from above and below.  Its incredible how fantastic a tree can look when a gentle spot light is focused on it from over the side or from behind.  These schemes rely on a totally safe installation and it is critcal that a fully trained electrical engineer is involved in the wiring up and connections.  An expert may seem an wild expense at first but the safety angle cannot have a price put on it.

Deck Loungers & Comfy Cushions Make for Splendid Evening Relaxation

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We are having the oddest weather at the moment – and not for the first year, we have had a very mild and wet winter, followed by a freezing cold early spring, running into a slightly warmer late spring, back to torrential rain and finally a fitful summer.  Very weird and slightly irritating as far as gardening and garden furniture is concerned.   No longer do we suffer the indignity of trying to open a deckchair, with all the contortions needed to get it set right, foot bar in the right height grooves, without having each knuckle brusied in the process!  We like the modern, spacious bamboo seating arrangements favoured by the top class tv lifestyle programmkes and the magazines we leave around on the patio table.   I like the old fashioned wooden deck loungers myself, with a nice plump ‘matress/cushion’.   Thse are luxurious when placed between small patio drinks tables.  If the midges are under control with ctronella candles, then it is wonderful to sit of an evening with down lights and uplights doing their thing amongst a well stock garden shrubbery.

The Beauty Of A Plain Oak Bannister & Stairwell

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There is definitely something pleasing about seein a neatly carved oak stairwell.    Perhaps it is the oak itself, or the combination of carved spindles and bannisters.   Even on a modern plain oak one, the classic lines never look out of place and you know that it will withstand the years of being kicked, scuffed, vacuum cleaners will bag against them;  dogs will do,  what dogs do on stairwells.    I used to have a painted bannister and spindles – my decorator who was doing the whole house at the time, decided to liven it up with a coffee and cream theme.   It looked pretty grim and not quite as reliably wood like as it hasd previously.   The wood did not start off even looking like oak.  In fact, knowing how developes manage to get in materials in bulk, everything was built the same inside our houses – most of our houses have a dog leg stairwell, involving a second pillar, on the corner of the stairs and this takes a great strain when less mobile folk need to get up and down the stairs.  I now have plain oak and it pleases me every time I travel up and down those wonderful oak bannisters!

New Style Lighting Raises The Bar For Garden Schemes

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To transform a plain garden into a spectacular but sophisticated area that will extend the use of the garden space ovwer several more weeks, a fresh new approach to lighting can be installed.    Instead of summer coming to a fairly abrupt end at the start of October, it is now possible to illuminate the borders and lawn areas to really make an inviting show.  New style lighting systems are so versatile – variable hoods over the lights offer subtle lighting or by removing the hood, and pointing the lights upwards, a once forgotten but well established tree can really become a feature of the display.    When the seasons change, the flexibility and ease of movement of the lights will offer many exciting looks – perhaps the tree has an exciting bark during the  winter, this can be highlighted with a beam directed lower down.  In the early spring when evenings are still a little dark, the beam can be raised to highlight the taller branches.  The possibilities are endless.  However, as with evrything electrical, the cabling and sockets must be installed by a suitably qualified electrician.