I’ve been working on a line of outdoor furniture with Kerin Dunshea, my brother in law, who is a very talented carpenter and builder. The first part of the range to be ready for summer 2011 will include 4 outdoor bench designs, inspired by English country garden furniture. All of the benches will be painted in a palette of 12 beautiful colours that I have been working on with Resene in either a semi-gloss or a high gloss finish. The benches will come in lengths of 1.2, 1.4 and 1.8 meters. They are beautifully crafted in the traditional manner and they are incredibly sturdy.

I was drawn to design this type of backless bench as there are many villas and bungalows in New Zealand with shallow verandas that can’t accommodate large furniture. These verandas are inherently useful and they’re often located in view of the street. These benches offer seating, naturally, and they ‘dress’ the space with their colour and style. They will also sit beautifully in the garden – a punch of colour in amongst the greenery.

I will post more photographs of the first 4 designs and the colour palate in due course. But here is the first one to come off the drawing board.

Custom bench 1.8 meters

Apron design to complement the window detail