It’s a common fact that barbeques, pool parties, family reunions, and neighborhood dogs all swell around a good collection of lawn furnishings (and free food), distinctly because lawn furniture allows one the opportunity to relaxingly enjoy the fruits of a well-groomed yard. But, deciding which patio set or bench best suits and sets off your garden or lawn’s decor while concurrently suiting your budget can be a hair-pulling, havoc-wreaking event — setting back that relaxation for months.
Perhaps one of the most enervating dilemmas of lawn furniture is the unwavering fear of theft. Whether an adorable garden gnome or an unwieldy set of tables and chairs, neighborhood thieves pillage and plunder outdoor furniture without thought to victim or consequence. Stakes, chains, bribing the neighborhood dogs, and inexpensive, ugly furnishings are the more routine tactics employed by wary lawn-tenders to keep filchers at bay. However, one new-fangled lawn furniture idea dispenses of theft by turning your lawn into furniture.
Adding a rustic touch to the yard, a lawn couch (yes, a couch made from grass) felicitously blends old-time sensibilities with modern wackiness. To tersely explain: shape the couch by pile-driving stakes into the ground forming lanes. Attach some sort of backing to the stakes (waferboard, plywood, drywall — something) and fill the lanes with dirt. This should leave you with the perimeter and foundation of the lawn couch. By altering the levels of dirt in the middle, a seat should be cratered and created — complete with arm rests and back support (laying down chicken wire for additional support is generally advised). Next, make sure the soil is tightly packed and properly shaped, and finally plant your sod. In a few days, when the grassroots take, enjoy the soft delights of your newest and most organic piece of furniture.
For those without the energy or wherewithal to undertake the building of your own outdoor furniture, plenty of reputable companies offer benches and tables that don’t require regular mowing. Cedar patio sets are quite fashionable these days — both for their rustic style and their durability. Additionally, cedar furniture emits a smell that at once entices humans and repels insects, making it an even more attractive option.
Comfort should be the top priority in lawn furniture>/em> — remember: the entire purpose of buying or fashioning fittings is to relax and enjoy one’s yard; settling for wiry or harshly-cushioned chairs defeats this purpose. If frugality is on your mind, scour the neighborhood for garage sales or construct your own outdoor furniture; but if you’re too thrifty and too lazy to scour or build, a hammock is a personal favorite. Easily assembled and collapsed, a hammock grants the torpid lawn-tender a cheap alternative to fancy recliners with equal opportunity for relaxing.
Discovering a cheap and efficient way to watch the grass grow is understandably difficult, but innovation and recycling aid the process. Turning your lawn into furniture seems to combine and assuage the equally arduous processes of tending lawn and purchasing furnishings. With a little imagination and a whole lot of dirt, you can transform your yard into a four-star lounge — now, if you could only get room service.
By Jean-Pierre Lacrampe